From correspondents in Jammu and Kashmir, India, 05:33 PM IST

Separatist guerrillas shot dead a Special Police Officer (SPO) in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town Sunday and a local politician, who witnessed the crime, suffered a heart attack and died, police said.

A police officer said gunmen fired at the victim near the main bus stand in Sopore, 54 km from here. Fayaz Ahmad died instantly.

A Lok Janshakti Party leader, Feroze Ahmad, who witnessed the firing, suffered a massive heart attack and later died in hospital.

Doctors in the sub-district hospital referred Feroze Ahmad to Srinagar for specialised treatment. However, he couldn't be revived here also by the doctors and died.

Meanwhile, an army trooper was killed and another wounded when separatist guerrillas ambushed a 21-Rashtriya Rifles (RR) patrol in the Rajawar forest area of north Kashmir's Kupwara district during a search operation.

Sunday's strike comes after guerrillas fired two rifle grenades at a security force camp late Saturday. The grenades exploded without causing any damage.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)