Civilian dies, internet snapped, educational institutions shut
State Times News
SRINAGAR: Top Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant Abu Dujana, a Pakistani national wanted in connection with several terror attacks, and his aide were gunned down today by the security forces in an encounter in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.
And what helped security forces to zero-in on this much wanted militant were Dujana’s frequent visit to a particular village where he was believed to have married a girl, an official claimed on the condition of anonymity.
The two militants were gunned down in the encounter, however, some people gathered at the spot and pelted stones and the security forces used tear smoke shells, pellets and fired a few rounds to disperse them. According to a police official one civilian died in the cross-firing.
Early on Tuesday, the security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Hakripora area of Pulwama late last night following information that Dujana and his local associate, Arif Nabi Dar, were present, an Army official said.
An encounter broke out after the holed-up militants refused to surrender, he said.
During the firefight, both militants were killed, the official said. Their bodies were recovered and the operation called off, he added.
Pakistani national Dujana was wanted for many attacks on security forces and political workers in south Kashmir. He was variously described as a category ‘A’ or ‘A++’ militant by Army and police officials. Dujana carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, they said.
According to a police spokesman, the slain militants were involved in grenade attacks on security forces at Kakapora.
They were also involved in the killing of sarpanch Fayaz Ahmad Bhat earlier this year, he said.
Dujana was a very close associate of Abdul Rehman alias Abu Qasim, the spokesman said adding that both were involved in an attack on a BSF convoy in Udhampur last year.
“Dujana was instrumental in recruiting local youth in LeT. He was involved in recruiting Reyaz Ahmad Dar alias Khalid, Dar and Ayoub Lone alias Hebtulla,” he added.
He was also involved in the killing of two CRPF personnel at Sangam in Anantnag district and in an attack on a police party at Gallander in Pampore area in which two constables were killed, the spokesman claimed.
The other slain militant, Dar, also known as Arif Lilhaari, was involved in robbing J&K bank branches at Arihal, Ratnipora, Nehama and the Ellaquai Dehati Bank’s Wahibugh branch, the police said.
As the security forces were engaged in the counter- militancy operation, over 100 protesters resorted to stone pelting on them, a police official said.
The security forces used tear smoke shells, pellets and fired a few rounds to disperse them, which resulted in the death of one civilian and injuries to a dozen others, he said. “One person with fire-arm injuries was brought dead at the Pulwama district hospital,” the police official said.
The deceased was identified as Firdous Ahmad, a resident of Begumbagh in Kakapora area.
According to the police spokesman, he was hit during cross firing between the militants and the security forces. Meanwhile, mobile internet services were snapped across Kashmir as a precautionary measure to maintain law and order.
The speed of broadband internet services in the valley also significantly reduced following the killing of the two militants, locals said.
The authorities shutdown schools, colleges and universities soon after the killing of two militants as a precautionary measure, officials said.
Later speaking to reporters at Awantipora, Lt Gen J S Sandhu, corps commander of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps said, “Dujana was not involved in too many operations, he was more of a nuisance. He was more involved in coercion and not many in terms of terrorist acts. So, he was only enjoying himself here. That is the way I look at it.”
Dujana’s killing has affected the outfit and more militants would be hunted soon, he added. A senior police official also said that Dujana had become an eyesore for everyone and he would even harass girls.
But the leadership of the LeT has been affected and we, of course, will keep hunting for other militants in this area, he added.
Our aim is clearing them out as soon as possible, Sandhu said, flanked by Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Munir Khan.
Lt Gen Sandhu said the security forces received the information about the presence of two terrorists in Hakripora area of Pulwama in the early hours today.
By about 4 AM, the police as well as the Army had established the cordon around about 10-12 houses which was the reported area. Subsequently, we closed in and on speaking to the house owner learnt that the terrorists were not allowing the family to come out.
After a couple of hours, after talking to them, the members of the family came out, after which we launched the operations.
It started around early hours of the morning, around 8 (AM) or so and within a couple of hours, the two terrorists were killed, he said.
He was a foreign terrorist, a Pakistani, Sandhu said.
Another terrorist, Arif Nabi Dar, who was also a wanted terrorist involved in a number of bank robberies and weapon snatching incidents, was also killed, he said.
Terming Dujana’s killing as “good riddance”, IGP Khan claimed he had become an eye-sore for everybody, especially girls.
“He used to enter any house and do anything he wanted to do. Good riddance that way. I think people should relax, the girls, our sisters, they should relax now that no such person is there to harass them,” Khan said.
He said both the killed militants were notorious and had established strongholds in certain areas through coercion and threats.
It had become imperative to neutralise them in the interest of peace and safety of general masses, he said.
The IGP said the security forces tried hard to make the militants surrender.
“Announcements were made from mosques and we tried to utilize the services of the house owner and the persons who came out of the house to impress upon them to surrender. But, because of Dujana’s presence, the other fellow could also not surrender,” Khan said.
They started firing and the quantum of fire from their side was very heavy, the IGP said. It was retaliated and both were neutralised, he added.
After the operation was over, the bodies were identified properly. It was a clean operation, but for the civilian casualty of Firdous Ahmad of Begumbagh and around five to six who received pellet injuries and two bullet injuries, he said.
Khan said that anti-militancy operations would continue despite stone pelting or disruptions.
“(Stone) pelting or no pelting, disruptions or no disruptions, the operations will go on whenever we get information of militants, armed militants rather, in a house or in an area, the operations are to be launched,” he said.
An attempt is made to make the militants surrender but if they don’t and start firing on our forces, the only reply is to retaliate, he said.
He said that a civilian had also lost his life.
“It could have been avoided if the people stayed inside and had let the security forces do their job, these things would not have happened. I again appeal to the people, because the operations will carry on,” Khan said.
