PDP leader's personal security officer killed in militant attack in Srinagar

SRINAGAR: Militants opened fire at the residence of a PDP leader in the Natipora area of the city on Monday, killing his personal security officer.

Parvaiz Bhat, the militant-turned-PDP leader, escaped the attack unhurt.

Bhat said militants dressed in 'pheran' -- traditional Kashmiri cloak worn during winter -- and armed with AK rifles came to his residence.

As soon as the militants pulled out their weapons, the PSO opened fire, he said.

The constable was injured in the firing by the militants.

The injured cop was taken to the nearby Bone and Joint Hospital for treatment, a police official said.

He said the policeman succumbed to injuries.

Bhat claimed that it was third attack on his life since he joined mainstream politics.

He was earlier a militant of Hizbul Mujahideen.

"The government has downgraded my security.

I don't know what would have been the fate of my family if the alert PSO had not opened fire," Bhat told reporters at his residence.

He claimed that his security detail was reduced last year and he now had only two PSOs compared to five earlier.