KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Intense clashes erupted in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Thursday.
Reports reaching here said that people were demanding body of the militant which army claimed to have killed in an encounter.
Army on Thursday morning cordoned Argam village of Bandipora saying that militants were hiding in a house.
Later, the army official said that a suspected militant was killed in the operation jointly done by Rashtriya Rifles, CRPF and police men.
However, after the forces called off the operation, hundreds of people came out of their homes seeking custody of the slain militant’s body.
“Army said that three-four militants gave slip to forces but one was killed,” news reporters who were present on the spot said.
But with people unrelenting and holding protests outside the army camp in the area where “encounter” took place, forces lobbed tear gas canisters to disperse off the protestors.
“We fear it was a staged encounter,” a local said, “army should hand over body of the militant if they have killed anyone.”
“One militant has been killed,” Dy SP operations Bandipora Murtaza Hussain Mir reportedly said. “His identity is being ascertained.”
