Four local Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists and an Army paratrooper were killed in a fierce gun-battle in Nadigam village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district while a separatist worker was shot dead by unknown assailants in Anantnag region. The violent incidents occurred on a day when polling was held in several districts of the Valley in the second phase of the panchayat elections.
A police spokesman said that security forces had “credible input” about the presence of militants in Nadigam area of district Shopian before a cordon and search operation was launched in the predawn hours on Tuesday.
“As the search operation was going on, the search party was confronted with bullets fired by the hiding militants. The fire was retaliated leading to an encounter. In the initial exchange of fire one army jawan identified as HC Vijay of 23 Para sustained injuries and was evacuated to the hospital for medical treatment where he succumbed,” police said.
During the encounter four terrorists were shot dead and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. The slain terrorists were identified as Abid Nazir Chopan, Basharat Nengroo, Mehrajuddin Najar and Malikzada Inamul Haq, all local cadre of banned Hizbul Mujahideen outfit.
The slain militants, police said, were involved in attacks on security establishments and many other civilian atrocities in the area. Incriminating materials including huge quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of encounter.
Shortly after the encounter, a large number of protesters marched towards the encounter site despite police advisory against approaching the gun-battle site. The police and paramilitary forces deployed in the area used tear smoke shells, pellets and live ammunition to disperse the protesters resulting in injuries to eight people, eyewitnesses said. Three persons including two women have sustained bullet injuries, they said. The wounded were taken to district hospital Shopian and three of them were shifted to Srinagar for treatment.
In another incident, unknown gunmen fired upon a Tehreek-e-Hurriyat (the) leader Hafeez Mir at his residence in Budroo Achabal area of Anantnag district on Tuesday morning. Mir was rushed to hospital but was declared dead on arrival. His wife has also sustained bullet injuries and is being treated in hospital. Mir was district president ofAshraf Sehrai led Tehreek-e-Hurriyat, which is a constituent of Syed Ali Geelani’s faction of Hurriyat Conference.
The separatist groups have condemned Mir’s killing.
The killings took place on a day when second phase of panchayat polls was conducted across the state. The first phase of the nine-phased poll was held on November 17.