SRINAGAR: Residents who said they witnessed the quick shootout in Rambagh during late hours alleged three persons were shot dead by vehicle-borne cops and there was no retaliation. Police have already identified the “neutralised” trio and it included Mehran, a top TRF man.
Police #neutralised 03 #terrorists in #Srinagar. Identification & affliation of the killed terrorists is being ascertained. Further details shall follow. @JmuKmrPolice
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) November 24, 2021
Within minutes after the shootout, in many videos captured at the site that have gone viral on social media, people are seen saying that the three boys were “pushed out of a Santro car and shot dead on the road”. They said the police could have arrested the three.
In one of the videos, eyewitnesses allege that the three were “unarmed”. Soon after the incident, locals gathered near the spot. There was a quick protest and sloganeering as well.
In a statement, police said they had signalled a suspected Santro vehicle to stop. Instead of halt, the police said “the militants started firing indiscriminately on the police party from inside the car while trying to flee from the spot under the cover of firing. The fire was, however, effectively retaliated leading to a gunfight,” said the spokesman.
However, residents said there was no gunfight.
IGP Vijay Kumar identified one of the killed as Mehran, a top TRF (The Resistance Front) commander, who is accused of killing two teachers and other civilians in the capital city in October this year. In a subsequent handout, police identified the slain trio as Mehran Yaseen Shalla resident of Jamalatta Srinagar, Manzoor Ahmad Mir resident of Babhar Pulwama and Arafat Ahmad Sheikh resident of Nikloora Pulwama.
Witnesses said that the three were quickly bundled into a police vehicle and taken away. In videos on social media, the residents are seen cleaning the blood-splattered road stretch.
In the statement issued to the media, police said they recovered “incriminating materials including arms & ammunition” from the possession of the slain trio.
