Srinagar, On Tuesday, two special police officers announced their resignation after their houses were attacked by crowds in north Kashmir's Sopore area.

SPOs are part-time employees of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and are paid a meagre stipend of Rs 6,000 per month. They are engaged to help security forces tackle militancy.

SPOs Waseem Ahmed and Firdous Ahmed announced their resignation during a rally at Baharampora in Sopore, where one of them raised pro-freedom slogans.

According to sources, two SPOs were associated with the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s counter-insurgency unit, the Special Operations Group. They resigned after pressure from local residents.

"I'm resigning because my house was attacked by people. I'm no more with the police. I have resigned. I'm the sole breadwinner of my family. I have decided to quit and I want tell the people that I have nothing to with police," said Mr Ahmad.

This is the first time when policemen have resigned because of the unrest in the valley.