By IANS
Srinagar : Separatist militants shot at and critically wounded a senior leader of the ruling Congress party in south Kashmir Monday night.
Police said one paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) trooper was also seriously wounded in the shootout.
They said militants sprayed bullets at the heavily guarded home of Muhammad Shafi Banday, president of the district unit of the Congress, in Shopian town, 70 km from here.
CRPF troopers guarding his house retaliated but the militants managed escape under the cover of darkness.
"Banday received serious bullet injuries in the shootout. One CRPF trooper manning the guard post was also wounded. Both were shifted to Srinagar for specialized treatment," said a senior police officer here.
Senior police and paramilitary officers rushed to the spot and searched the area.
Meanwhile, security forces gunned down two militants in Bandipore, 50 km from here in north Kashmir.