Srinagar
Thousands of people on Saturday morning participated in the last rites of two Hizb militants who were killed during an encounter with government forces in Tikken area of Pulwama district in south Kashmir.
Reports said that emotional scenes were witnessed from the spot after the bodies of the duo Liyaqat Ahmed Wani and Wajid Ahmed were lifted towards their respective graveyards in Bellow and Babhara area of Pulwama.
Amid pro-freedom and anti-governmental slogans, thousands of the people from the district attended the funeral prayers. Reports also suggest that many rounds of funeral prayers were held due to the huge rush of people, from Pulwama and other districts of the south Kashmir.
The duo was killed today early morning in an encounter with government forces in Tikken Pulwama. Earlier a police spokesman said that a joint team of forces wee hours today launched a cordon and search operation in Tikken area of District Pulwama based on credible inputs about the presence of militants in the area.
The spokesman said that as the search operation was going on, hiding militants fired on the search party. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the ensuing encounter, two militants were killed and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Their identities are being ascertained.
Incriminating materials including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation in the instant matter.
Police have also advised the people not to venture inside the encounter zone since such an area can prove dangerous due to stray explosive materials. Meanwhile, the internet services in the area have also been suspended for the “precautionary measures.”
