india

Updated: Dec 30, 2018 19:01 IST

Suspected militants have looted four rifles from the official residence of Congress legislator, Mohammad Muzuffar Parray in Srinagar after allegedly overpowering a security guard.

The senior Congress leader, who was not present in the house then as he is in winter capital Jammu along with his family since a month now, said that Srinagar’s senior superintendent of police told him that the weapons were looted by unidentified persons from his official residence J- 37 at Jawahar Nagar and police had taken his personal security officers (PSOs) into custody for questioning.

Sources said that one of the PSOs had told senior officials that unidentified gunmen came to the residence and took away four weapons, all AK 47 rifles, after overpowering him.

“I was informed by police about this incident. I don’t know how security officials could be so irresponsible. They are even risking our life along with lives of our families by sending guards who are so irresponsible.’’

“The police should first do proper verification of their men and then send them for guarding the legislators and other leaders,“ said Parray.

A senior police officer said the case is being investigated and PSOs are being questioned. “We are looking into all the angles.’’

This is the second time when weapons have been looted from the official residence of any legislator in the state. In September, seven AK rifles and a pistol were stolen by legislator Ajaz Ahmad Mir’s PSO Adil Bashir from his official residence at Jawahar Nagar. Mir was also not present at the official residence and was in Jammu then. Later Bashir joined militant ranks and handed over all the weapons to them.

Earlier in October, unidentified gunmen snatched two weapons from policemen guarding a retired police officer’s house in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

On September 30, militants had managed to snatch an AK 47 rifle after attacking a police station in south Kashmir’s Shopian district in which 23-year-old policeman, Saqib Mir, was killed.

Government data presented in the state assembly in January this year shows that 149 guns and 102 tear gas shells and grenades were looted by militants in Jammu and Kashmir in the past three years out of which 76 were recovered.

In May this year, Jammu and Kashmir police blamed the overuse of smartphones by its personnel for the rise in the number of incidents of weapon snatching across the strife-torn state and banned their use during duty hours, especially by sentries.

The order issued by the additional director general of police (armed) had also introduced a number of dos and don’ts to be followed by policemen, including chaining their weapons to their belts. The guards were also required to introduce improvised alarm system and remain available round the clock in guardrooms “in a state of alertness and in proper uniform during day-time”.