Families say wards innocent
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 30: Three militants including the son of a police man were killed in an 18-hour long gun battle at Lawaypora area of Srinagar outskirts today, police said but families contested the claim saying that they were innocents.
General Officer Commanding (GoC) Kilo Force Major General H S Sahi said that three militants killed in an encounter at Lawaypora on Srinagar outskirts were planning a big strike on the highway.
Addressing a joint press conference at 2 RR Army headquarters at Zainakote, HMT, Srinagar, GOC Kilo Force said that for last many days they were getting intelligence reports about movement of militants on the National Highway.
“For last many days, intelligence inputs were pouring in continuously about the movement of militants on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Yesterday, we developed leads and came to know that militants are hiding in a house right opposite to Noora hospital at Lawaypora in HMT area,” the Army officer said.
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He said that when the presence of militants was established, Army’s 2 RR, Police and the CRPF repeatedly asked them to surrender. “The militants fired indiscriminately at security forces and lobbed grenades as well. The operation was put on a halt due to dark but cordon layers were tightened. With the first light, the firefight again resumed and militant used heavy ammunition against security forces,” the GOC said.
Major General Sahi said that in the gunfight three militants were killed. “This was a clean operation and there was no casualty of the security forces,” said Sahi, who was flanked by Commander 10 sector RR Naresh Mishra and SP West Shehzad Saliar besides other officials of Army and police.
To a query why militants are choosing Srinagar outskirts, he said: “Militants choose Srinagar outskirts or highways to carry out attacks on security forces to get maximum publicity. The nature of ammunition used by the militants in today’s gunfight, suggests they were planning a big strike on the highway.”
The officer said that another reason why militants choose Srinagar outskirts is because the area has congested locality, lanes and by-lanes. “They perhaps feel, these areas are safe heaven for them. But our intelligence grid is very strong and will not allow to carry out any major strike in these areas. January 26 is coming and they may try to play some mischief, but we are alert and will foil their all plans”, he said.
The security forces had sealed Srinagar-Baramulla between Narbal and Shalteng since last evening and no one was allowed to move on this portion of the highway
The traffic on the highway remained disrupted since the encounter started and was resumed at 2 p.m. Since yesterday traffic was diverted from Srinagar-Soibugh-Narbal road and Shalteng-Safapora road.
All the entry and exit points of the portion of the highway were sealed by troops to prevent anyone from reaching the spot.
A police spokesman said that about 05:30 PM on Tuesday troops of 02RR launched a cordon and search operation on a specific input near Hokersar where the militants hurled grenade on the searching party and fired indiscriminately on troops while laying cordon.
“On receipt of this information Srinagar police along with Police Component Srinagar and Valley QAT CRPF rushed to the spot,” the spokesman said, adding that “search party of 02 RR was heavily fired upon by the militants hiding inside the building which was retaliated. Repeated announcements were made to the hiding militants to lay down their illegal weapons and surrender. Instead, the hiding militants fired continuously upon the searching party.”
The police spokesman said that due to darkness, the operation was suspended but the cordon remained intact throughout night. “On December 30 morning, with the first light repeated announcements were again made to hiding militants to surrender, but they fired indiscriminately on security forces which was retaliated again resulting in elimination of militants.
“The operation ended at 11:30 am in which all the three hiding militants were killed. Upon their search, arms (one AK 47 rifle & two pistols) & ammunition and other incriminating material along with some documents were recovered,” the police said , adding that “from the recoveries their identity has been established as Ajaz Maqbool Ganie and Ather Mushtaq, both residents of Pulwama and Zubair Lone, resident of Shopian.”
The police said that some families from South Kashmir came to PCR and claimed the slain to be their wards. “They have been sent to Ganderbal for further identification and participation in last rites in the presence of Magistrate,” the police spokesman said. “In this connection a case under relevant sections of law has been registered and investigation initiated.”
“People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitized and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any,” the police spokesman said. He added that although the three killed militants in today’s encounter were not mentioned in our list of militants, yet two of them were hardcore associates of militants–(OGWs). “Pertinently, one of the two is relative of top HM commander Rayees Kachroo who was killed in 2017. Reportedly, third might have joined very recently. Generally parents don’t have idea about the activities of their wards. Several OGWs after committing crimes like grenade throwing & pistol shooting etc stay normally with their family,” the police spokesman said. “For instance, one student from Pulwama who was taking coaching in Srinagar was caught for lobbing a grenade with the help of CCTV’s footage. His parents were totally unaware about his militant activities”, he added.
Police is investigating the case and after thorough investigation will come to the conclusion soon on merits, the spokesman said.
IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar requested the parents to keep close watch on their wards and keep strict vigil about their day to day activities to ensure that they may not indulge in any subversive or terrorist activities.
The families of those killed in Lawaypora protested outside Police Control Room (PCR) Srinagar, alleging that slain were innocents.
The families assembled outside PCR here and staged a protest amid slogans: “Our sons were civilians, students, not militants.”
The families said that slain youth Athar and Aijaz, who hailed from South Kashmir’s Pulwama district were innocent and had left home yesterday.
The families demanded justice and appealed the higher ups to look into the matter. Aijaz’s father is a police constable deputed in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
“My brother left for Kashmir University. He called me saying he won’t be able to come home and will stay in Srinagar,” said Aijaz’s sister Rifat, who was part of the protest.
She alleged: “My brother had backache and was home for two months. He has been killed in a fake encounter.” She said that her father Muhammad Maqbool Ganai called her and asked for Aijaz’s photograph. “My father told me that Aijaz has been killed in encounter. We were shocked.”
Bashir Ahmad Ganie, grandfather of Aijaz Maqbool, who was killed in Lawveypora said that his ward was killed in staged encounter. “Yesterday at 10 a.m., he had tea with me and I swear about it. Is this what is going to happen in Kashmir. Is this democracy? Is this the governor Raj? Kill me. Why you killed him. He was a student,” he said at PCR Srinagar during protest.
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