A policeman was killed when ultras attacked Sopore police station in Baramulla district of north Kashmir on Tuesday.

Head constable Mohammad Yousuf was entering the police station at 10:45 AM when militants opened fire, Deputy Inspector General of Police (north Kashmir) Abdul Qayoom Manhas told PTI.

The policeman died instantly in the firing, he said. The militants fled when police guards retaliated, Manhas said, adding a massive hunt has been launched to nab them.

The attack in the apple-rich Sopore, 55 kms from here, comes barely five days after militants killed two persons including a policeman in the town. The militant attack sparked panic in the area as shopkeepers abandoned their shops and ran for safety.

Transport also came to a grinding halt, official sources said. Reinforcements of police and paramilitary carried out a thorough search operation despite incessant rains and snowfall. However, no one was arrested, the sources said.

Sopore has witnessed a spurt in militant activities since December last year.