news details |
|
|
| Militant, SPO killed in major gunfight in Sopore Stone pelters clash with Police at | | 40 spots amid total shutdown in Valley | |
AHMED ALI FAYYAZ
EARLY TIMES REPORT
SRINAGAR, June 21: On umpteenth shutdown in Kashmir valley, where stone pelting groups clashed with Police and CRPF at nearly 40 spots, one militant and one Police personnel today died in a major gunfight in the apple town of Sopore in Baramulla district. Plush with the impact of today's shutdown, hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani has issued a fresh calendar of 'protest' and called upon the people of Kashmir to observe yet another complete bandh tomorrow.
Informed sources told Early Times that Sopore Police and troops of Rashtriya Rifles 22 Bn swooped on Bagat Batpora locality in old township of Sopore at 1530 hours after receiving specific information regarding the presence of two to three heavily armed militants. As soon as troops zeroed in on the target house, two of the holed up militants opened fire. It triggered off a major gunfight that ended with the destruction of the house at 2300 hours tonight.
Sources said that a Constable of IRP 7th Bn, working with Special Operations Group (SOG) of Sopore Police, namely Ghulam Hassan, got killed in the beginning of the operation. He was reportedly a resident of Kupwara. Sources said that one of the militants got killed and another was believed to be holed up till late this evening. However, Police and Army failed to find any dead body by 2300 hours when they brought down the target house with powerful IEDs.
Officials participating in the operation maintained that one Constable had got killed and the hideout was destroyed after six hours of gunfight. They said that one militant was believed to be dead but troops were expecting dead bodies of two militants. Residents, however, insisted that one or two militants had managed to escape even after troops had laid a tight cordon around the locality.
"We have lost one Constable. According to our information, there were two to three militants but position about the militant casualties would become clear only after clearance of debris tomorrow", Dy SP Operations, Harmeet Singh, told Early Times from the site of encounter late tonight.
Kashmir News Service (KNS) reported that Jamiatul Mujahideen spokesman called the news agency and claimed that militants of his organisation's "Al-Raad Squad" had killed two soldiers and their offensive was a result of the killing of three innocent youth by Police and CRPF in Srinagar in the last few days.
Earlier today, militants fired a rifle grenade towards the office and residence of SP Sopore, Altaf Khan, at 1030 hours. It landed on the adjoining premises of BSNL exchange, causing splinter injuries to eight officials. Later, militants fired yet another rifle grenade on a paramilitary formation at SBI complex in the Main Chowk of Sopore. Officials said that nobody was injured or killed in this attack.
Independent reports, however, said that two persons were injured in the rifle grenade on CRPF camp at SBI complex and both of them were rushed to a Srinagar hospital for treatment. These sources said that a Pakistani militant of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hamza, was believed to have died in today's encounter at Bagat.
Sopore is yet again reeling under fear of the militants who had last evening gunned down a civilian, namely Fayaz Ahmed Ganai of Warpora. Earlier this month, militants had spread a fresh wave of terror in Sopore by killing a senior leader of the ruling National Conference and President of Traders Federation in broad daylight. Earlier this year, government had created a separate Police district at Sopore with an objective to streamline command and control system in the apple rich area and home constituency of the hardliner separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani.
Meanwhile, Kashmir valley today observed umpteenth shutdown in response to a call from heads of both factions of the separatist Hurriyat Conference, namely Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq. A number of other separatist groups had supported the call for shutdown. Death on a youth, who had sustained critical injuries in a clash with CRPF on June 11th, at SKIMS on Saturday night followed by killing of another youth in CRPF firing on Sunday, were quoted as cause of action for the shutdown by the separatist outfits.
Encouraged by a fairly positive response to the call, Hurriyat (G) Chairman, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, this evening extended the shutdown to Tuesday. He issued a fresh calendar of 'protests' and told mediapersons that he would soon issue a comprehensive programme of protests against the "phenomenally increasing human rights violations" by security forces.
Reports said that there was near-total shutdown in the summer capital as well as all other major townships and district headquarters in the Valley today. Most of the government offices, educational institutions and banks remained closed and attendance was remarkably thin at the government offices that functioned. Commercial transport was off the road in response ton the call for shutdown coupled by fear of damage in stone pelting.
Reports said that stone pelting groups clashed with Police and CRPF at around 40 spots in Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Sopore, Kulgam, Budgam (Ompora and Nasrallapora) and other places. Even as officials maintained that nobody was injured in today's clashes, independent sources insisted that more than 20 persons, including at least six Police and CRPF personnel, sustained injuries. Nearly 50 vehicles were reportedly damaged by stone pelting groups who enforced the shutdown while attacking all types of vehicles.
There was fresh trouble in Srinagar in the evening when demonstrators clashed with Police and CRPF at Maisuma, Noorbagh and Batmaloo (Reka Chowk). Residents alleged that CRPF men thrashed youngsters and damaged house-hold goods while trooping into houses. Residents of Noorbagh area alleged that CRPF men broke legs and arms of a youth, namely Muzaffar Ahmed of Qazigund, who was working as domestic help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
