Srinagar: Ten SPOs who were tasked with protecting Bharatiya Janata Party leader Wasim Bari have been arrested in connection with his killing.
Bari, his father and brother were shot dead by militants in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Wednesday.
“We are taking a tough [stand] against them for dereliction of duty and failure to protect lives,” said Kashmir Inspector General Vijay Kumar. He added that the policemen assigned as personal security officers.
Jammu and Kashmir Police chief Dilbag Singh had on Wednesday said that the police officers, who had been deployed to provide security, were not present during the incident.
Bari, the BJP’s district president, was sitting outside his shop when the militant attack took place around 9 pm. The policemen, on the other hand, were sitting on the first floor of the building. “As the house and shop are together, the PSOs were allowed to sit on the first floor,” an unidentified official told India Today.
The police said Pakistan-based militant outfit JeM was behind the attack. “The terrorists have been identified.”
Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has extended his condolences to Bari’s family. “Over the telephone, PM Narendra Modi enquired about the gruesome killing of Wasim Bari. He also extended condolences to the family of Wasim,” he tweeted.
