Srinagar
The two militants killed in a gunfight with the government forces in Gahind area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Saturday were affiliated with Jaish-e Muhammad outfit.
The slain militants were identified as Abid Wagay resident of Rawalpora Shopian and Shahjahan Mir resident of Amshepora Shopian.
A police spokesperson in a statement said that according to the police records, both the slain militants have affiliated with proscribed militant outfit JeM.
“They were wanted by law for their complicity in a series of crimes including the attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities,” he said.
“According to the police records, both the slain militants Abid Wagay and Shahjahan Mir were involved in the abduction and subsequent killings of civilians Firdous Ahmad of Batgund & Nissar Ahmad of Kapran and policeman Balwant Singh of Batgund last year in 2018,” said the spokesman.
“They were also involved in the killing of lady Khusboo Jan at Viel Shopian earlier this year. Moreover both were also involved in the killing of a civilian Tanveer Ahmad of Bemnipora at Kachdoora in Shopian. Both of them were also involved in arson and setting ablaze of Panchayat Ghars at Kanjiullar and Ramnagar,” he said.
“As per the police records, Shahjahan was also involved in the snatching of weapons and killing of four police personnel at Arhama Shopian near petrol pump last year in 2018. He was also involved in the attack on Police Station Shopian in which one cop Saqib Mohi-ud-Din had killed and his rifle was snatched. He was involved in the abduction and killing of a young boy Huzaif Ashraf Kuttay resident of Manzgam D.H Pora,” he added.
“Several crime cases were registered against both of them for planning and executing attacks on security establishments and killing of civilians in the area,” said the spokesman.
“Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition was recovered from the site of encounter. All these materials have been taken in the case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other criminal cases,” he said.
“Citizens are once again requested not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitised and cleared of all the explosives materials if any,” said police spokesman in a statement.
