Conflicting versions emerged on the killing of four persons during a late Sunday shootout in south Kashmir’s volatile Shopian district with the Army describing the slain men as “accomplices of a terrorist”, while the State Government called them “casualties of the crossfire”.

Six bodies were found near the encounter site, one of them five kilometres away, after the shootout. Two bodies were those of terrorists of banned Lashkar-e-Tayyeba (LeT) and four other bodies were found in two separate cars.

Soon after the shootout, Defence Spokesman in Srinagar Col Rajesh Kalia said three persons killed in the car were Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of a terrorist who opened fire on Mobile Vehicle Check Post (MVCP).

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, however, described the killings as “deaths in the crossfire”. However, she did not promise any probe into the killings, apparently against the backdrop of a controversy over the killing of four persons in the same district last month.

“Deeply distressed by more deaths of civilians caught in crossfire in Shopian. My heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s families,” Mehbooba tweeted. There was no

detailed statement from the CM’s Office.

J&K Police chief Shesh Paul Vaid said police would investigate whether the slain youth had any linkage with the terrorists.

However, Col Kalia issued a detailed statement on the incident saying that two speeding vehicles were seen approaching the MVCP location from the direction of village Trenz on Sunday evening. “The stops deployed signaled the vehicles to stop, however both the vehicles continued to move. At this point, when a searchlight was flashed towards the approaching vehicles, heavy firing came from both the vehicles. Own troops, in self defence, responded the same with fire. In the ensuing gunfight, one terrorist firing from one of the vehicles was hit and he fell off the vehicle and the vehicle veered off the road towards the nala and the second vehicle sped off,” the statement said.

“Later during the search, the body of terrorist was recovered, who was identified as Amir Ahmad Malik, category C terrorist. He was part of the LeT and was active since July 2017. War like stores — including one AK-74, three magazines and 88 rounds — were also recovered from the slain terrorist. Three more bodies were found in the vehicle during the search. These individuals were accompanying the terrorist,” he said. The statement did not describe them OGWs.

“The second vehicle that had fired at the Army was found on Monday morning near Pinzura, Shopian where one more individual was found dead. He has been identified as Gowhar Ahmed Lone of Molu-Chitragam village of Shopian. Body of another terrorist, identified as Ashiq Hussain Bhat, part of LeT, was found from apple orchards of village Saidpura, who is also linked with the same chain of events at village Pohanu,” Kalia said.

The locals have dismissed the Army’s claims. They said the civilians were passing by the area in their vehicles and they were killed by the Army. Coalition of Civil Society, a prominent rights group, said that 44 Rashtriya Rifles unit, deployed in Shopian region was involved in civilians’ killing. “In a span of one year, 44 RR stationed in Shopian is involved in the killing of at least nine civilians in the district,” Khurram Parvez, spokesman of the group said in a statement.

Courtesy: Pioneer, Tuesday, 06 March 2018 | Khursheed Wani | Srinagar