Village Defence Guard Killed in Militant Firing in J&K’s Udhampur

 Srinagar: A Village Defence Guard (VDG) was killed in a brief exchange of fire between the separatist militants and the security forces in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur district on Sunday.

Following the incident, the militants are learned to have moved into a dense forest prompting the security forces to launch a massive search operation to capture them alive or dead, the police sources in Jammu said.

Jammu’s Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Jain while confirming the death of the VDG Muhammad Sharif said that he had sustained critical bullet injuries in the militant firing after he joined the police and other security forces to take on them in the Basant Garh area of Udhampur. “The police had received specific inputs about the movement of suspicious individuals in an area of Basant Garh and accordingly activated the security grid in the local police station limits,” he told reporters.

The exchange of fire took place when a joint party of the security forces and VDGs challenged the suspected militants around 7.45 am on Sunday, the police sources said, adding that in the brief encounter between the two sides Sharif, a resident of Udhampur’s Khaned village, was injured and succumbed at a medical facility soon thereafter.

Mr. Jain said, “The police had received information about the movement of two or more groups of terrorists who were probably freshly infiltrated. The police picket Sang carrying along with them VDG members proceeded towards Chochru Gala heights as part of area domination where a face-off ensued with a group of hiding terrorists.” He added that following the initial exchange of fire that lasted over half an hour, the gunmen fled deep into the forest area and were being chased by the security forces and that the entire area has been cordoned off for sanitation purposes “with three terrorists spotted in the area and another group seen in nearby areas”.

Local news agency KNO reported that Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Army helicopters have been pressed into service to trace down the militants, while the Army’s Special Forces, Central armed police forces and Special Operations Group of the J&K police were rushed to the area to strengthen the cordon and neutralise the militants.

The news agency quoting official sources said that there was information about the movement of two separate groups of militants, who infiltrated recently, from Kathua to Basant Garh. One of the groups with five members was confronted, while there was no trace of the other group which has four members and whose movement was last reported in the Machedi top area bordering Kathua, it added. “The sources said that the terrorists are believed to have infiltrated from the International Border in Kathua district and are heading to Kashmir via Chenab valley, taking advantage of the dense forest,” the agency said adding that the Army has airdropped special forces in the forest area and a massive search operation is underway to track and neutralise the militants even though that there has been no fresh contact with them.

Meanwhile, the police in the Pulwama district of the Valley have seized a property worth lakh of rupees, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. “The property in question, a single-storey residential house located in Monghama village of Pulwama which has been used by terrorists for their shelter and other logistic support, provided by the house owner Mohammad Lateef Kar son of Ghulam Ahmad Kar to the terrorism and also having links to terrorist activities,” a statement issued by the police here said. It added, “The property is now under official seizure, prohibiting any transfer, lease, disposal, or alteration without prior permission from the designated authority. The seizure underscores the unwavering commitment of J&K police to dismantle terrorist networks and disrupt their financial support systems. Cooperation from the public remains essential in the ongoing efforts to maintain peace and security in the region”.