*Surrender of local militants priority this year: IGP
Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Jan 29: Three militants were killed in an encounter in Tral area of Pulwama district and two are trapped in Kakapora area of the district today while Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, said that the surrender of local militants will be the mode of operation this year for police and other security establishments.
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Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said that last night, Awantipora Police received information that militants were hiding in Mandoora area of Tral. “Accordingly, Police, CRPF and Army laid cordon. Searches were carried out and it got confirmed that militants are present there. As part of SOP, the militants were offered to surrender but they refused. They hurled grenade and opened fire which was retaliated, leading to a gunfight. Three local militants were killed and they belonged to Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, he added”
He said that one among them had joined the militancy last year and two of them this year only. “You will remember that there was a grenade attack in Tral town in which a CRPF personnel and eight civilians were injured. The attack was carried by one of them, Arif Bashir of Mandoora”, he recalled.
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The two other slain militants were identified as Waris Hassan who had joined in August last year and another as Syed Asiful Haq of Noopora. The IGP said that an AK-47 and four grenades besides a pistol was recovered from the slain militants.
Kumar said that modus operandi of the security forces will be on surrender of local militants. “Our modus operandi this year would be to focus on surrender. In Bandipora we had a militant surrender last week. A lot of information gets extracted due to it and others also get ready for surrender,” he said.
“Today also, we tried to make them surrender. We will try our best to make the local militants surrender. In around 80 percent cases, we get to know the details of parents of the hiding militants and we try to contact them”, he said.
Kumar said Pakistan tries to instigate youth in Kashmir through online modes and police is planning for its own portal for de-radicalization. “A youngster gets influenced through pressure group of local friends. We are planning to develop an online portal so as to interact with the youth and parents. We will get in contact with parents and try to inform them that their ward is showing such tendencies”, he said.
Regarding Lawaypora encounter, the IGP said that whatever families are saying has proved to be wrong. “They said the trio did not know each other but what transpired through investigation is that all three of them boarded the same vehicle at 2.30 pm and de-boarded just before encounter site. In 2019, the policeman’s son (one among the slain at Lawaypora) was brought to SOG camp and counseled (against joining militant ranks). Data also shows that two from Pulwama had IP address from Pakistan”, he added.
One of them was in contact through virtual number with two Pakistan militant commanders,” he said, adding, “whatever family is saying has proved to be wrong. The family should have stopped them. Does the father not know why his son was frequently called to SOG camp and what he was doing? Parents have a role. They must keep watch on their wards. Parental control is must and parents must discharge their duties.”
Regarding Wednesday’s IED attack on Jammu-Srinagar Highway near Kulgam, he said troops try to take shelter in vacant buildings and they should sanitize them prior to going there.
“Jaish-e-Mohammad was involved in it. One militant, Mufti Altaf from Dooru, who is active from May 2000 and a foreign militant were involved. We will soon arrest or neutralize them”, he added.
To a question, Kumar said that 5-10 percent are such militants killed in encounters whose complete bio-data is not with police.
And in the meantime, a gun battle broke out between militants and security forces in Batpora Lelhara village of Kakapora area in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district this evening.
A joint team of Police, Army’s 50 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of militants in the area.
As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them, which was retaliated triggering an encounter. An official said that two to three militants are believed to be trapped in the area.
And Police arrested three youth with pistols and grenades in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district today.
The three youth were apprehended in Pazalpora area of Bijbehara. Two pistols and three grenades were recovered from their possession. They have been identified as Irfan Ahmed Ahanger of Khanabal, Imran Nabi Hajam of Nathpora, Khanabal and Bilal Ahmed Kumar, a resident of Heff Shirmal Shopian.
They are being questioned while a formal case has been registered against them under relevant sections of law.
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