Four civilians and an Army jawan were killed in Kulgam on Wednesday, as an 18-hour operation against holed-up militants sparked widespread violent clashes, which left over 50 civilians injured. The trapped militants managed to escape from the spot.
It’s for the second time in 10 days that the Valley saw civilian casualties during anti-militancy operations. Four civilians were also killed during operations on April 1 in Shopian.
“The encounter, which started around midnight, witnessed a heavy exchange of fire till Wednesday morning. A house caught fire around noon. However, when the debris was searched, no bodies were found. It seems the militants escaped,” a senior police official told The Hindu .
Trapped militants
Two to three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were believed trapped at the encounter site in a residential area of Wani Mohalla of Kulgam’s Khudwani. The police said the search party was pelted with stones “throughout the night.”
An Army spokesman said jawan Sada Gunakara Rao, 24, from Andhra Pradesh, died in the firing.
Four civilians were killed in multiple clashes that erupted near the encounter site and far-off areas in Kulgam’s Khudwani and Qoimoh.
They were idetified as Sharjeel Ahmed Sheikh, Bilal Ahmad Tantray, Faisal Illahi, a minor, and Aijaz Ahmad Palla.
