Four militants, civilian killed in J&K during Amit Shah’s visit

Amit Shah reviews security, visits slain policeman’s family in Uri

Security personnel at the encounter site in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. File photo | Photo Credit: Nissar Ahmad

Four local militants were killed in twin anti-militancy operations in Shopian, while one civilian died in a police firing incident at a checkpoint in Pulwama on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, touring Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed security in Srinagar and directed the security forces and police “to pro-actively conduct coordinated counter-terrorism operations, to fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a prosperous and peaceful J&K”.

He exhorted the security forces “to continue with coordinated efforts through meticulous and well-planned counter-terrorism operations to wipe out terrorism”. “Terror ecosystem comprising elements that aid, abet and sustain the terrorist-separatist campaign to detriment of the well-being of common man requires to be completely dismantled,” he said.

He underlined that investigation be timely and effective in the cases filed under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

Civilian dies

Meanwhile, a civilian died in a firing incident at a checkpoint in south Kashmir’s Pulwama, amid heightened security.

According to the police, a rifle of a policeman “accidentally went off” resulting in injuries to a civilian, Muhammad Asif Padroo from Shopian’s Poterwaal. Padroo later succumbed to his injuries.

“A case has been registered and the policeman has been arrested,” Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar said.

Condemning the death, former Chief Minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti said, “An overcautious and paranoid security apparatus in J&K has snuffed out an innocent life in Pulwama today. The need to prove normalcy overrides the sanctity of lives here. For how long will people of J&K bear a human cost to further GOI’s (Government of India) ‘all is well’ agenda.”

“Asif paid with his life in the name of ensuring security for HM’s visit,” she added.

Meanwhile, four local militants were killed in south Kashmir, taking the toll of militants killed in the run-up to the Union Home Minister’s visit to nine in the past week.

Three militants of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and one affiliated to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were killed in two separate operations in Shopian’s Drach and Moolu areas.

ADGP Vijay Kumar identified the slain LeT militant as Hanan Bin Yaqoob. “The slain terrorists, Yaqoob and Jamshed, were involved in the recent killing of SPO Javed Dar on October 2 at Pinglana in Pulwama and an outsider labourer from West Bengal on September 24 in Pulwama,” ADGP Kumar said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shah trekked the mountainous terrain to visit the family members of deceased constable Mudasir Sheikh, who died fighting three foreign terrorists of JeM in an operation Najibhat crossing on May 25.