1st gunfight between terrorists, security forces in J&K after over 3-month lull | Arms seized

After a hiatus of over three months, the calm of Kashmir’s hinterland was disrupted as encounters between security forces and militants resumed.

The police said, acting on specific information regarding the presence of a militant in the Frassipora area of Pulwama, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by the police, army (53RR) and CRPF (183Bn) in the area.

“During the search operation, as the joint search party approached the suspected spot, the hiding terrorist fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated effectively, leading to an encounter,” the police spokesman said.

In the ensuing encounter, he said, a militant was killed and his body was retrieved from the site of the encounter. The police said the militant was later identified as a Danish Sheikh, a resident of Srinagar. He was part of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)/TRF. The police said arms, ammunition, and incriminating materials were recovered from the killed militant.

The police said they have registered a case under relevant sections of law, and an investigation has been initiated. The police have asked people to cooperate until the area at the encounter site is completely sanitised and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any.

On January 5, security forces killed a LeT militant during an encounter in the Shopian district. Thursday’s encounter took place after more than three months of relative calm in the hinterland of the Valley. However, on April 5, the Indian Army successfully thwarted an infiltration attempt in the Uri sector of Baramulla. During this operation, one militant was killed.

On Monday evening, a driver identified as Dilranjit Singh, a resident of Delhi, who was accompanying a German couple on a visit to Kashmir, was shot at and wounded by unidentified militants in Shopian district.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 12th April , 2024