Fayaz Bukhari
Srinagar, Aug 19: Militants today shot dead a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) worker in Dailgam village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
Militants opened firing on PDP worker Mohammad Isaaq Parray at Uggen in Dailgam. He sustained serious bullet wounds and was shifted to nearby hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
Soon after the incident, Army, SOG and CRPF launched a man hunt to nab the assailants.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti condemned the killing. In a statement, the Chief Minister described the killing as dastardly and inhuman. She said she has always maintained that violence is not the way to further a political cause but certainly violence has torn apart the social fabric of the State over the past 30 years. She expressed her condolences with the bereaved family.
A low intensity blast occurred inside Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Jawahar Nagar area of city this evening causing minor damage to boundary wall and window panes.
The explosion took place in J-2 Quarter which houses BJP office at Jawahar Nagar this evening. SHO Rajbagh, Ghulam Moihuddin, immediately reached the spot. He said that Police is ascertaining the nature of the blast.
A Police spokesman, however, said that some rumours are being circulated on social media regarding alleged attack and ransacking of an office of a political party at Raj Bagh.
“This is to clarify that no such incident has taken place, However, some loud sound was heard which is being verified. There is no apparent damage to the office or neighbouring buildings. The matter is being investigated into. Strict action under law will be taken against rumour mongers”, the spokesman said.
And security forces today launched a massive operation in Shopian district in South Kashmir to flush out the militants.
Security forces today cordoned off and conducted searches in 10 villages of Shopian including Chakoora, Mantribug, Zaipora, Pratabpora, Takipora, Ranipora, Ratnipora, Dangam, Kellar and Wangam.
The joint operation was launched by Jammu and Kashmir Police, Army’s 62 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and 114th Battalion of Central Reserve Police Force early today.
The cordon and search operation was launched after inputs about the presence of a Hizbul Mujhadeen militant group in the area. The cordon around these villages was launched at midnight after information that a group of Hizbul Mujahideen militants is hiding in these villages.
Security forces not only conducted house to house searches in these villages but searched the nearby orchard to trace out the militants. At Ratnipora, Wangam and Dangam residents came out and pelted stones on the security forces during the operation and they in return fired tear gas to disperse them.
Sources said that these villages are thought to be militant sympathizers and were targeting security forces whenever there was operation there. The objective was also to sanitise these areas so that militants keep away from these villages where the locals give cover to them during the operations by pelting stones at the security forces. The operation concluded at 2.30 pm during which no arrests were made.
Cordon and search operation was also launched at Padgampora and Malangpora areas of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district after reports about presence of some militants in these villages. However, the operation was later called off after no militants were found in the area.
And in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, two policemen including on Sub-Inspector were thrashed by Army men last evening after a scuffle broke out between the two sides over beating of civilians.
Police sources said that the incident occurred near Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Kupwara last evening at 8.10 pm when a check post was erected by Army and paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). They said that Army personnel from 41 Rashtriya Rifles caught hold of policemen following a scuffle and then they were beaten to pulp.
The scuffle, they said, ensued when one policeman namely Shabir Ahmad and Sub-Inspector Tariq Ahmad from Police Post Kupwara Bazar objected to beating up of two civilians who were boarding a car at check post by Army personnel along with an officer of Special Operation Group (SOG) wing of J&K Police.
Sources said Tariq is incharge of the Police Post Kupwara Bazar while Shabir is ‘munshi’. Both civilians and policeman Shabir were hospitalized following beating by Army. Later, senior officers of the Army and police rushed to the spot and pacified the both sides after which situation normalized.
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