Jail Superintendent suspended over Srinagar Hospital firing

Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], Feb. 8 (ANI): Srinagar's Central Jail Superintendent, Hilal Ahmad Rather on Thursday was suspended from service and was asked to report to Director General (DG) of Prisons, following the incident at Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS), in which two police personnel lost their lives and one terrorist escaped.

According to officials, "the suspension of the Jail Superintendent, was taken up for his carelessness and dereliction of duty in the supervision and surveillance of hundreds of prisoners and under-trials, mostly locals and Pakistani militants, and others involved in stone-pelting and attacks on public property".

Earlier in the day, two attackers and two over ground workers (OGW) have been arrested in connection with the attack on Srinagar's SMHS Hospital firing, which led to the escape of one detained Pakistani terrorist.

"SIT started probe and due to scientific evidence, we ascertained who or what were involved. They were identified, raids were conducted. We apprehended two militants by the name of Shakeel Ahmed Bhat and Tika Khan, both residents of Kakapora, Pulwama, and two OGWs by the name of Saeed Tajammul and Muhammad Shafi Vani, both from Kakapora, Pulwama," Jammu and Kashmir ADGP Muneer Khan told press here.

The incident relates to the attack on February 6, when a group of terrorists opened fire at the police party that was escorting Pakistani terrorist Naveed Jatt along with six fellow prisoners, from the Central Jail, Srinagar to SMHS Hospital for their medical checkup.

During the firing, two cops were killed, while Jatt managed to escape. Following this, an SIT was constituted to inspect all the aspects of this escape

"It is not 'you couldn't catch them, they overtook us,' no! Appreciate officers' efforts who cracked case in limited time. We could have fired in hospital but we would have killed civilians. We are Police officers, not terrorists, we don't believe in killing innocents, they do," Khan added. (ANI)