3 ultras, soldier from Bathinda, 2 civilians die in Kashmir

SRINAGAR/ANANTNAG: Six persons — two civilians, a soldier and three militants — were killed in election-bound Kashmir on Thursday even as a gunfight inside a mosque in central Kashmir’s Budgam triggered protests and clashes in several parts of the Valley.

Violent protests after the gunfight in a mosque. Tribune photo: Amin War

Tribune News Service

Srinagar/Anantnag, September 27

Six persons — two civilians, a soldier and three militants — were killed in election-bound Kashmir on Thursday even as a gunfight inside a mosque in central Kashmir’s Budgam triggered protests and clashes in several parts of the Valley.

Two local militants, one of them a former Special Police Officer (SPO), were killed in a seven-hour-long encounter at Panzan Chadoora, 25 km from Srinagar. They reportedly opened fire at the security personnel laying a cordon around the village in the wee hours and later took refuge in a local mosque. “The local Auqaf Committee was engaged to convince the terrorists to lay down arms, but they refused,” said an officer. Subsequently, the Army’s special forces launched an operation to force them out of the two-storeyed mosque. “After room-to-room clearing operations, the troops were able to zero in on the militants inside a minaret. In the ensuing gunfight, the two militants were killed and two soldiers injured,” the officer said. The slain militants, who owed allegiance to the Hizbul Mujahideen, were identified as Sheeraz Bhat of Chadoora and Irfan Dar of Kakapora, Pulwama. The latter had deserted the police some months ago.

Srinagar-based defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia said the troops showed maximum restraint and “risked their life to ensure no damage was caused to the structure”. Nonetheless, violent protests erupted immediately after the gunfight with the locals claiming the mosque had been damaged.

In another encounter, soldier Happy Singh (25) of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, a resident of Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district, and Lashkar militant Asif Malik were killed in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. Malik belonged to Verinag in Anantnag. The gunfight broke out in Qazigund Dooru at about 6 am during a search operation. Malik, with a BTech degree, was involved in several attacks on security personnel.

In the third incident, a civilian, identified as Mohammad Saleem Malik (21), was killed in Srinagar’s Noorbagh locality during a search operation. But the youth’s family and local residents claimed he was feeding his sheep when he was shot. Another man was killed in alleged Army firing in Kupwara district. Sources said the troops, while laying an ambush in Rangward area of Kralpora, saw a man and asked him to halt. “But he ran away and was shot.”