BSF man killed, 4 family members injured in knife and gun attack in Hajin

• Parray snatched rifle of a militant and overpowered him before others fired and killed him: BSF
• Police blames LeT’s Mehmood Bhai

Police on Thursday blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba militants for killing BSF man and injuring four members of his family in an knife and gun attack at his residence at Hajin area of north Kashmir district of Bandipora.
“Three to four militants barged into house of BSF constable Mohammad Ramzan Parray alias Rameez at Parray Mohalla, Hajin in Bandipora at around 9 pm on Wednesday,”outgoing Deputy Inspector General of Police North Kashmir, Nitish Kumar said.
He said the militants attacked Parray, who was on leave at his home,and his family members with a knife and then fired indiscriminately at him and others.
Parray, 30, was killed on spot while four of his family members including father Ghulam Ahmad Parray, two brothers Mumtaz Ahmed and Javid Ahmed and aunt Habla Begum were injured and they were shifted to Srinagar hospitals for specialised treatment.
Asked whether the militants involved in the attack have been identified, Kumar said, “Prima facie we know that Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Mehmood Bhai and his aides were behind the attack”.
Parray belonged to 73rd bn of BSF and was posted at Singhpora,Pattan in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
He was availing 37-day leave from August 26.
Parray had joined BSF in 2011.
Another police official said militants stabbed the constable and his relatives before firing on him. “There was a scuffle as the attackers tried to drag Parray out of the house. Only he was shot while the others suffered stab injuries”.
It was the first such attack reported in the district.
Earlier, a former Ikhwan commander Rashid Billa was killed inside his house.
“Something is fishy in the attack. It is mysterious attack as the deceased BSF was a simple and decent man,” the locals said.
Officials told Kashmir Post that during the medical examination by doctors, the bullet and knife injuries were found on Parray’sbody.
A BSF spokesman said four heavily armed militants stormed the house of Constable Ramzan Parray in Hajin area of Bandipora at around 9 pm.
“Militants were masked and Urdu speaking. After entering the house, militants asked Parray to show his identity card. However, he resisted and it led to scuffle between him and militants. During the scuffle,Parray snatched rifle from one militant and overpowered him. However, the militants fired upon him from AK-47 from close range at his chest and head causing his on spot death. While running away, militants took away the mobile phone of the deceased and fired more rounds outside the house to ensure that none chases them,” he said.
He said Parray’s father, two brothers and aunt also showed courage and fought with the militants. “During the scuffle and resistance to the militants attack, all the four sustained grievous injuries and have been hospitalised,” the BSF spokesman said.
He said doctors have termed condition of Parray’s father as critical.
The body of Parray was shifted to local police station around noon, where senior officers of the police and BSF offered floral tributes.
At around 1:15 pm, Parray’s body was buried at his ancestral graveyard at Hajin. Hundreds of people participated in his funeral prayers.
A police official told Kashmir Post that they are investigating every angle.
“No conclusive comment can be made at this juncture,” he said adding investigations are going on.
Though police suspected that Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the killing, however, none of the militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack.
“The Prahari Privar mourns the death of the brave Borderman and stands with the grieved family with full support,” a BSF spokesman said.