Hyderabad, May 18 (IANS) A home guard was killed and a policeman injured after two unidentified people opened fire at them when they were standing at a bus stand in Faluknama area of Hyderabad, police said.
Quoting eye witnesses, police said two unidentified persons came on a motorbike around 4.30 p.m and opened fire. The attackers escaped after the firing.
The policemen were rushed to Osmania General Hospital where home guard Balaswamy was declared dead. The 26-year-old had been hit in the head by a bullet. Police constable Rajender Prasad was stated to be in critical condition.
Immediately after the attack, police sounded a high alert in the city and began checking vehicles and frisking of suspects in different areas.
The attack took place on the day when the city is observing the second anniversary of the bomb blast at the historic Mecca Masjid. Nine persons were killed in the blast during Friday prayers at the mosque May 18, 2007. Five people were killed in the subsequent police firing on a mob outside the mosque.
Police said they were conducting investigations to identify the attackers and their motive. Officials refused to confirm if it was a terror attack.
In a similar attack Dec 3 last year, two policemen were injured. The incident had taken place when a suspected extremist opened fire while the policeman were trying to arrest Viqaruddin, a former activist of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
One of the two persons accompanying Viqaruddin had opened fire at the policemen. Viqaruddin, who was wanted in connection with the Mecca Masjid blast case, is still at large.
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