Policeman wounded in militant attack on minister's house in Indian-controlled Kashmir

An Indian policeman was wounded Sunday after militants attacked ancestral house of a local government minister in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The attack took place on Sunday night at Shestragam village of Dooru in Anantnag district, about 87 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Militants at around 10:15 p.m (local time) attacked police post guarding ancestral house of junior minister for Hajj and Auqaf, Farooq Ahmad Andrabi in Dooru village," a police official said. "A policeman was wounded in the attack."

According to police, Andrabi was not in the house at the time of attack and does not stay out there. However, his parents live in the house.

Andrabi is a legislator of ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and is close relative of region's Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Following the attack contingents of police and paramilitary were rushed to the spot.

Unconfirmed reports said militants have looted some service rifles belonging to policemen from the guard post.

"We have dispatched police contingents to the village and would get complete details soon," the official said.

Earlier, during the day two militants belonging to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM) outfit were killed in a gunfight with police at village Padgampora of adjacent Pulwama district.

Last night, suspected militants barged into a house of junior-level police officer and ransacked it. Militants also set ablaze his family car before fleeing away.

A guerrilla war and separatist movement demanding end of New Delhi's rule is going on in the region since 1989.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endit