SRINAGAR: The militant who was killed in an operation in Baramulla was the second generation fugitive and his father had also been killed earlier, police said. While the father was killed in 2015, the son lost his life in an encounter with the counter-insurgency grid in Baramulla on July 30.

A police spokesman identified the slain militant as Irshad Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Wailoo Pattan. He was son of Fayaz Ahmad.

The spokesman said they had specific information regarding the presence of a militant in Binner village and a joint cordon and search operation was launched by Police, Army (46RR), SSB (2nd Bn) and CRPF (53Bn).

“During the search operation, as the joint search party approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding terrorist fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party which was retaliated effectively leading to an encounter,” the spokesman said. “In the ensuing encounter, one local categorized terrorist identified as Irshad Ahmad Bhat son of Fayaz Ahmad resident of Wailoo Pattan Baramulla of proscribed terror outfit LeT was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of encounter.”

Offering police records, the spokesman said that the slain was an active militant since May 2022. “Before joining terrorist ranks the killed terrorist was working as a terrorist associate of proscribed terror outfit HM along with his father who was a terrorist commander of terror outfit HM and got killed in the year 2015 at Devbug,” the spokesman said. “Irshad was involved in several terror crime cases including an attack on two civilians namely Abdul Rehman Wani and Aftab Ahmad Bhat, both residents of Gundari Pora Baramulla at their native village on 11/08/2016 in which both received critical gunshot injuries. He was also involved in the killing of a civilian namely Zakir Hussain Bado of Mahmood Pora at Wailoo Baramulla on 09/11/2016.”

Details the evolution of Irshad as a militant, the spokesman said that he had been arrested in 2017 along with arms and ammunition. “After a period of at least five years he was released on bail by Hon’ble Court in April 2022 but he did not refrain from his activities and formally joined terrorist ranks in May 2022,” the spokesman said. “Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including 01 AK series rifle, 02 magazines and 30 rounds have been recovered from the site of encounter. All the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation.”

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