Srinagar
Police on Thursday issued the following statement about the two encounters and killing of a civilian in Kashmir parts.
A police spokesman in a statement said that Police and government forces in the wee hours today launched a search operation at Gazi Gund Dooru in District Islamabad. During the searches, the encounter started off between government forces and militants.
“In the ensuing encounter, a local militant identified as Asif Malik who was operating as commander of a proscribed militant outfit LeT was eliminated. He was involved in several attacks on government forces including the killing of CRPF men at Achabal this year and in many other cases of civilian atrocities. One army man identified as Happy Singh of 19 RR also killed in the encounter,” the spokesman said.
“Incriminating material including arms and ammunition was recovered from the site of the encounter,” he said.
The spokesman in a statement said: “In another encounter at Budgam which started today morning at Panzan area of Chadoora in district Budgam, government forces neutralized two militants identified as Sheeraz Ahmad Bhat resident of Kralwari Chadoora and Irfan Ahmad Dar resident of Kakapora Pulwama affiliated with proscribed militant outfit HM. Irfan Ahmad Dar was working as SPO and had deserted a couple of months ago.”
Pertinently, the militants fired on a search party from a nearby mosque and subsequently area was taken into the cordon. The local Auqaf Committee was engaged to convince the militants to come out, said police spokesman.
The police spokesman said that government forces also appealed the militants to come out however, the militants turned down the offer and consequently the operation had to be carried out in a deliberate manner keeping intact the sanctity of the mosque.
“In this operation, one army man also sustained bullet injuries and was evacuated to hospital for medical treatment,” he said.
“In another incident at Noor Bagh in Srinagar city, government Forces acting on a credible input cordoned a cluster of houses where the hiding militants fired indiscriminately resulting in the death of an individual identified as Saleem Malik son of Mohammad Yaqoob Malik,” the police spokesman said.
Police have initiated an investigation in all the cases, the spokesman said.
