- Clashes break out as people try to march towards encounter site
- Army major injured, 3 civilians hit by pellets
- Pulwama observes shutdown
Two militants, including a Hizbul Mujahideen commander, and a member of police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) were killed in an overnight gunfight between militants and government forces in Hayena area of Tral in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.
Three force personnel, including an army major, were injured during the encounter. Several civilians were also injured as police used tear smoke shells and pellet guns to thwart continuous efforts of hundreds of people to march towards the site of the encounter.
One of the slain militants has been identified as local Hizb commander Aaquib Molvi.
SP Awantipora, Zahid Malik told Kashmir Post that Aaquib fired from the debris in late afternoon, injuring a police constable. “The local militant (Aaquib) had been waiting under the debris of the house, which was razed to ground by the forces, to attack again. He was killed in retaliatory fire,” Malik said.
While Aaquib’s body was recovered and handed over to his family for last rites, Malik said, efforts were on to retrieve body of the Pakistani militant. His identity was not revealed till late night, though wire-agency PTI identified him as Saif-ul-lah alias Osama of Jaish-e-Mohammed.
As per sources, Aaquib had called his father in the wee hours of the morning and bid his final goodbye to him. Aaquib was an associate of slain Hizb chief Burhan Muzaffar Wani. He went to a religious seminary before picking up arms in latter part of 2012. Known as a deeply religious boy by the locals, Aaquib had memorized most of the holy Quran by the time he was 18.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters after the wreath laying ceremony of the slain policeman, constable Manzoor Ahmad Naik of Salamabad (Uri), Director General of Police (DGP) S P Vaid said: “We had specific inputs regarding presence of militants in Tral area and a joint operation was launched by police and security forces. The encounter started last evening and two militants have been killed.”
According to local inputs and police sources, the Hafoo Nazneenpora village in Hayena area was cordoned at around 5 PM on Saturday, amid stiff resistance from locals who marched in hundreds to try and break the cordon and give holed up militants a chance to flee.
During the initial clashes service rifle of a CRPF man was snatched allegedly by some protesting boys.
Later in the evening, police sources told Kashmir Post, contact was established with the militants who tried to break the cordon with intense firing.
“The fire was retaliated triggering a fierce gunfight which continued throughout the night,” the police source said, adding that the holed up militants made couple of unsuccessful attempts to break the cordon during the night.
It was during the night that Major Rishi of the army tried to get close to the house where militants were holed up and he was shot in his face, sources said. The army officer is undergoing treatment in Srinagar.
Late evening, the government forces, as per local sources, used IED to blow up the house.
“The house was partially damaged and the militants kept fighting from the intact part of the house, which was also blown to debris early Sunday morning,” the sources said. “At around 9 AM both militants were declared dead.”
Section 144 was imposed and all roads leading to the encounter site were blocked by CRPF and policemen but hundreds of people from across south Kashmir assembled around the site and kept repeatedly regrouping in their attempts to break the cordon.
Azaadi songs kept blaring from loudspeakers of local mosques despite the restrictions. People used social media including Facebook and Whatsapp to appeal people to come out and help the militants.
Voice messages were circulated on Whatsapp urging people to come out and help the militants to escape.
Rumors were rife that Hizb chief, Zakir alias Moosa and his deputy Sabzar were among the holed up militants, triggering eerie unrest across the region.
The rumors were put to rest this morning after DGP’s interaction with the media.
People in Tral, however, continued to march towards the site of the encounter throughout the day and clashed with government forces. At least four people were injured during the clashes with three of them sustaining pellet injuries, as per the health officials in Tral. They have been shifted to Srinagar for specialized treatment.
People were demanding bodies of the slain militants to be handed over to them.
Meanwhile, fresh firing was reported from the site of the encounter, confirmed by a police spokesperson.
Police has installed flood lights at the spot of the encounter, local sources said. “They are staying put at the spot.”
We repeatedly tried to get in touch with the local police officials, but to no avail.
Meanwhile, A complete shutdown was observed across Pulwama in the aftermath of a gunfight in Tral area of the district, reports and witnesses said on Sunday.
All shops remained closed during the day while public transport was completely off the roads. “However thin movement of private vehicles could be seen,” witnesses said.
Forces were deployed in the town to thwart any attempts at protests over the killing of two militants in the Tral gun-battle. In the afternoon, some youth took to streets and pelted stones on forces near Muran Chowk, the witnesses said.
