6 including children injured in explosion
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 27: Three militants of The Resistance Front (TRF) were killed in an encounter in Lower Munda area of Qazigund in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district this morning.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told Excelsior that three militants were killed in a gunfight in Lower Munda area of Qazigund this morning. He said that their identity is yet to be ascertained.
He added that the operation was launched by a joint team of Police and Army’s 19 RR this morning in Lower Munda area. The militants fired on troops leading to a gun battle in which all the three militants were killed.
The IGP said that a few families claimed the bodies and passes were given to them by the Deputy Commissioners for identification. “If they identify in presence of Magistrate, they would be allowed to participate in burial at isolated and safer place in Baramulla”, he said.
“One AK rifle and two pistols were recovered.Their post mortem and lifting of DNA samples was done at Srinagar”, he said.
Sources said that the slain militants have been identified as Bilal Ahmad from Panzgam in district Pulwama, Aqib alias Urfi from Kakapora in Pulwama and Perviaz Ahmad. They all belonged to TRF.
And four children were among six persons injured in a blast near encounter site this afternoon and one of them was referred to SMHS Srinagar hospital.
The blast occurred soon after security forces withdrew from the encounter site.
A police officer said that the area was sanitized of the explosives while announcement were made, urging people not to venture into the prohibited area.
He said that they had erected banners there, asking people not to go near the spot. “While we sanitized the area, there seems that some explosive had been left unnoticed which these persons fiddled with, leading to the blast,” he said
Five of the injured were shifted to SDH Dooru and one seriously wounded, 15-year-old Obaid Beigh son of Bashir Ahmad Beigh of Lower Munda, to emergency hospital Qazigund. One injured was administered first aid and later shifted to SMHS hospital Srinagar for specialized treatment.
Five other injured have been identified as Aakash Ayoub Rather son of Mohammad Ayoub Rather of Badermuna, Sameer Ahmad Beigh son of Mohammad Sidiq Beigh, Mehran Showket son of Showket Ahmad Ganie, Zubair Ahmad Shah son of Syed Abdul Ali and Khurshid Ahmad, all residents of Lower Munda.
And police spokesman today said that last evening a patrol party of Kulgam Police, RR of Army and CRPF was attacked by 4-6 militants in between villages Chehlan and Asthal. “In the exchange of firing that ensued, one Army officer received fire arm injuries”, the spokesman added.
He said that the attack was followed by exchange of firing between security forces and militants in which security forces confirmed to have killed 2-4 militants. “The exchange of firing stopped around 2200 hrs. Due to expansive area of search, undulating terrain and total darkness, it was decided to carry out search of the area after first light”, he said.
He added that one militant body was recovered during the searches in the morning. One OGW’s body along with a pistol and a grenade were recovered. “Besides six SIM cards were also recovered from his pocket”, he said.
And a police spokesman said that security forces today arrested two militants from Uri area of Baramulla district of North Kashmir.
Police said that they received an input from reliable sources about movement of some militants in the general area Uri.
He said that check points were established at multiple points and stops were established by the joint teams of of Baramulla police, 18 Maratha of Army and 53 Battalion CRPF. “One such naka was established at NS Bridge Uri towards Hathlanga side. At around 1530 hrs, two suspected persons were coming from SaidaPora towards Uri”, he said.
The spokesman said that on seeing the checking party, they tried to flee away from the spot in a suspicious manner. The security forces caught both of them and on preliminary enquiry they disclosed their names as Zubair Ahmad Tantry alias Abu Bakar son of Ghulam Mohammad Tantry of Baharampora Sopore, a LeT militant and his associate Bilal Ahmad Rather son of Ghulam Mohammad Rather of Sahura Uri. On their personal search, a huge catch of arms and ammunitions and other incriminating material was recovered.
A case (FIR No 49/2020) under various provisions of Indian Arms Act, Indian Explosives Act and Unlawful Activity (Prevention) Act was registered in Police Station Uri and investigation has been started.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
