2 militants killed in Terai
From Our Correspondent

NEW DELHI, Aug 21 — A joint team of commandos of the National Security Guard and the Delhi Police shot dead two members of the Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar) at Rudrapur in the Terai region of Uttar Pradesh this morning, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Dr K.K. Paul said.

A large number of arms and ammunitions were seized from their possession.

The Delhi Police team got a tip-off about the hideout of the militants in Rudravihar during the interrogation of three activists of the KCF who were arrested yesterday in Delhi. They had planned to disrupt the election process in the Capital and in UP.

The militants, who were killed today, were identified as Kulwant Singh, alias Kanta, and Yadvinder Singh alias Nihang. Kulwant carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh announced by the UP Government. The duo were associates of the three KCF men arrested yesterday.

Dr Paul said armed with the information the Delhi Police approached the NSG and the Ministry of Home Affairs for an urgent operation in Rudrapur. The MHA sanctioned an aeroplane to enable the Delhi Police and NSG teams to fly to Rudrapur. Bakshish Singh, one of the militants arrested yesterday, was taken along with the team to pinpoint the house in Rudravihar where the KCF activists were staying.

At around 5 a.m., the team knocked at the door of the Rudravihar house following which the militants sensed that they had been surrounded. They opened fire from inside the house instead of opening the door.

After an exchange of fire, the NSG commandos stormed into the house and killed the militants with their automatic weapons.

The Delhi Police had seized 50 kg RDX, arms and ammunition from the militants arrested yesterday. The RDX was concealed inside fuel tanks of cars, moulded inside pens, cigarette packs, letters, dolls and soft toys.

A senior police officer said RDX in its pure form is a white crystalline powder with a chemical, cyclo-trimethylene-trinitramine. Despite its exclusive availability for military ordnance, terrorists have easy access to it through ISI channels.

One of the first big explosions in which RDX was used in the Capital was in Sadar Bazar in January 1994. It was again used in 1996 at Central Market in Lajpat Nagar in South Delhi. Besides, RDX was used in a bus explosion at the ISBT in July 1998, Holambi Kalan in April 1999 and in Chandni Chowk.