Their rifles were stolen in the pre-dawn attack at Pulwama court complex.

Two policemen were killed and 11 security personnel injured on Tuesday in two pre-dawn militant attacks in south Kashmir. The latest incidents have taken the number of attacks during the Ramzan ‘cease-ops’ to 45.

A police official said three policemen guarding a government building came under fire early in the morning in Pulwama town. “Terrorists attacked the guard posts at the Pulwama court complex. In the exchange of fire, two policemen were killed. The area is being combed,” the police spokesman said.

The deceased were identified as Ghulam Rasool and Ghulam Hassan from Baramulla and Kupwara districts. Two service rifles were also reportedly looted from the picket.

Militants threw a grenade at a CRPF party at Anantnag’s Janglat Mandi. “Ten CRPF personnel sustained minor injuries. They were shifted to hospital,” said a spokesman.

The police also defused an improvised explosive device at Pulwama’s Awantipora. “It was planted in the Kanjinag link road near a grid station,” said the police. According to officials, the Army resorted to aerial firing Shopian’s D.K. Pora after youth hurled stones at an Army vehicle.

The Army were removing pro-militants and anti-India graffiti in the area when they were attacked with stones.

The incidents came as Muslim devotees across the Kashmir Valley were participating in Shab-e-Qadr — special nightlong prayers held during Ramzan. Due to the special prayers, the Valley has witnessed traffic on the roads in the night too.

According to police data, militants initiated at least 45 attacks since the Ramzan ceasefire which include 19 grenade attacks. The attacks left one Armyman and a policeman dead and left 55 persons, including 27 security personnel injured.

The Army also killed 20 militants, mainly infiltrators in frontier district of Baramulla and Kupwara during the same period.

Two civilians also died in security action.

Around 50 incidents of stone pelting were reported for the period — a significant dip from the previous months this year.

Parties condemn attacks

All major political parties have condemned Tuesday’s militant attack during the Shab-e-Qadr prayers. Parties across the spectrum including ruling Peoples Democratic Party, National Conference and Congress, condemned the militants attack on Tuesday on the occasion of Shab-e-Qadr, when devotees hold nightlong prayers in Ramzan.

“With the militant organisations doing their best to ensure the ceasefire is a failure they will only have themselves to blame if the security forces come back at them even harder when the ceasefire ends...And (attacks) that too on the night of Shab-e-Qadr, the killers of these police personnel deserve nothing but the eternal flames of hell and that is where they are destined to find themselves,” said National Conference vice-president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah.

PDP leader Naeem Akhtar said such killings are highly condemnable. “These acts will not contribute in anyway to the atmosphere building towards holding a dialogue process. These forces are inimical to any positive move towards addressing issues in J&K,” said Mr. Akhtar.

A Congress spokesman described the killing as “dastardly and inhuman”. “The situation in the Valley has worsened to a largest extent due to wrong policies adopted by both State and the Centre,” he said.