Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 19: Army today killed one more militant in North Kashmir’s Handwara forests taking the death toll of militants shot dead since yesterday to four while massive operation was going on against the rest of the members of the group.
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Body of one more militant was recovered near the encounter site at Brinjal forest area of Vilgam, Handwara in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district today.
Earlier, Army had recovered three bodies of militants from the encounter site after the troops sited them and shot them in a fierce encounter.
Four AK-47 rifles, 14 AK-47 magazines, large quantity of AK-rounds, 7 hand grenades, 2 wireless sets, 4 matrix sheets, 4 rucksack, 4 pouches, wire cutter, Pakistan make medicine and food items were recovered from the encounter site.
Sources said that the group had infiltrated on May 14 before they were spotted in the forests by the troops. The encounter broke out after the soldiers of 15 RR intercepted a group of militants believed to be infiltrators at Brinjal forest adjacent to Shahnagar Jat Gali, around 7 kilometres away from Tehsil headquarter Vilgam.
Sources said that reinforcements of Army and SOG have been rushed to the area and the operation is still going on against the rest militants of the group. They said that it seems the group belonged to the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant outfit.
In the meantime, militants today lobbed a grenade on a joint party of CRPF and police at Muran Chowk in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district. However, it did not explode. Bomb Disposal Squad was sent to the spot and the grenade was defused.
And amid a shutdown in Valley, authorities today foiled a march to Lal Chowk called by the separatists against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the State.
Srinagar particularly the areas around SKICC, the venue for the PM’s function, were placed under thick security cover. The civilian traffic movement was halted through the roads leading to the venue.
Hurriyat Conference (M) chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was taken into preventive detention as soon as he along with his aides and activists tried to take out a protest rally from his Nigeen residence towards city centre Lal Chowk. He was taken to Police Station Nigeen.
Chairman of Hurriyat Conference (G) Syed Ali Geelani continued to remain under house arrest while JKLF chief Yasin Malik was arrested by police on Thursday. He has lodged at Srinagar’s central jail.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in Kashmir while public transport was also off the roads. The curfew-like restrictions were imposed in areas falling under police station areas of City including in Khanyar, Maisuma, Kralhud, Nowhatta, Rainawari, Nishat, Kralkhud, Maisuma and Safakadal.
All the roads in restriction-bound areas were sealed off since morning by hundreds of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were deployed in strength.
Meanwhile, sitting MLA from Langate in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district, Abdul Rasheed Sheikh was detained by police in Srinagar while he was leading a protest rally against Modi’s visit.
Rasheed along with his supporters tried to take a protest rally from his Jawahar Nagar residence, but policemen deployed in strength took him into custody. He was taken to Police Station Rajbagh.
Kashmir University had already postponed all the exams scheduled for Saturday while educational institutions in most parts of the Valley remained closed either by orders of Government or due to strike.
Railway authorities closed train services in the Valley in wake of the apprehensions of law and order situation.
Authorities snapped all types of mobile internet services across Valley on midnight Friday. The internet services including 2G/3G/4G were snapped at midnight. However, they were restored later.
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