JKP cop on Amarnath Yatra duty killed by terrorists in Lal Chowk of Anantnag

Head Constable Ashiq Hussain was shot at close range while on Amarnath Yatra security duty

July 22, 2026

First major attack on security forces in Kashmir this year

A Jammu and Kashmir policeman was killed in a targeted terrorist attack at Lal Chowk in Anantnag district on Wednesday afternoon. The slain cop was performing security duties for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra when he was shot from close range by motorbike-borne terrorists in a busy market area of the city centre.

According to CCTV footage uploaded on various social media handles, the policeman targeted by the terrorists was moving in the market area when he was hit from close range.

FB IMG 1784712572609 — Anantnag: Security personnel conduct a search operation following a terrorist attack in which a police head constable was killed, in Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir, Wednesday, July 22, 2026. (PTI Photo)(PTI07_22_2026_000138B)

DGP J&K Police Nalin Prabhat visited the Lal Chowk area along with senior police officers.

The deceased has been identified as Head Constable Ashiq Hussain, aged 33, a resident of Beerwah in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. He was serving with the Indian Reserve Police (IRP) 3rd Battalion.

#VIDEO || Cop Shot Dead in Anantnag; DGP J&K Reaches Spot as Massive Search Operation Begins.@JmuKmrPolice
Report: KNS Correspondent Anantnag pic.twitter.com/0fVC2KnLi5
— KNS (@KNSKashmir) July 22, 2026

Hussain sustained critical gunshot injuries around 12:30 pm and was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, where he succumbed to his fatal injuries.

A massive cordon-and-search operation has been launched in and around Lal Chowk by a joint team of Jammu and Kashmir Police, SOG, and CRPF to track down the attackers. Security has been tightened across Anantnag town amid the ongoing pilgrimage.

This is reported to be the first major attack on security force personnel in the Kashmir Valley this year.

The incident comes just two weeks after security forces eliminated Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakir Ganai in an encounter in Shopian district on July 8. Amarnath Yatra security has been significantly enhanced this year, with thousands of police and paramilitary personnel deployed along the pilgrimage routes.

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