Gunmen kill man associated with cellular phone company in Indian-controlled Kashmir

Gunmen in Indian-controlled Kashmir shot dead a man associated with mobile phone company, police said Wednesday.

The man was killed at his residence late Tuesday evening at Dooru village of Sopore area, about 55 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Late last evening gunmen barged into house of Ghulam Hassan Dar of village Dooru here and fired indiscriminately on him. Dar suffered multiple bullet wounds in his back and died on spot,"a police official said.

This is the second attack in last two days on people associated with mobile phone companies in the area.

Police said Dar had rented out a plot of his land to a government-run mobile phone company - Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited - for installation of mobile tower.

On Monday an employee was killed and two others wounded after gunmen attacked franchise office of BSNL in the area.

The incident has evoked widespread condemnation from rights bodies, political parties and militant groups including Lashkar-e- Toiba (LeT), and region's indigenous militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen.

United Jehad Council, a conglomerate of 13 militant groups and LeT in their statements to Srinagar based newsgathering agencies have described the attacks as "handiwork of Indian agencies."

The hardline faction of Hurriyat (freedom) Conference headed by Syed Ali Geelani termed the attack on telecom companies as " terrorist" act.

However, police blames militant groups for the killings.

"Undoubtedly, militants have carried out attacks in Sopore," the region's police chief K Rajendra told media. "Now when militants have felt that the act has evoked widespread condemnation, they are shrugging their shoulders."

On Saturday night, militants attacked two cellular phone towers in the town with grenades. However, no damage was reported in the attack.

A lesser known militant group Lashkar-e-Islam put up posters in Sopore warning phone companies to end their operations and directing landlords to dismantle cell phone towers erected on their property, locals said.

Reports said militants had fitted some devices atop mobile phone towers for their communication, which went missing.

Militants fear the devices had been handed over to police by employees of cellular phone companies.

Officials of cell phone companies operating in the region declined to comment.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants opposing New Delhi's rule and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989.

Meanwhile, mobile phone services in Sopore were affected as fear-stricken employees refused to come to work in the wake of the attacks. Endi