Srinagar:The security forces on Saturday gunned down two separatist militants in a gunfight in the Arigam village of Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Kulgam district. Three Army personnel and a J&K police official were injured during the clash, the officials here said, adding that they were quickly evacuated to a military hospital in capital Srinagar where their condition is ‘stable’.
Defence spokesman Lt. Colonel MK Sahu said here that a joint team of the Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and J&K police moved in Arigam following receiving information about the presence of militants in the village and soon a gunfight erupted between the two sides.
“A specific input was generated due to collaborative teamwork of Indian Army and J&K police wherein the presence of a group of terrorists in Arigam village was reported. Based on the specific intelligence, a joint operation was launched by the troops of Indian Army, J&K police and the CRPF at about 4 am,” he said.
He added, “The cordon was established with speed and stealth and while the search was in progress, the terrorist opened fire on own troops and the contact was established. The security forces ensured the safety of civilians in the vicinity, evacuated them to safety and carried out a deliberate operation which lasted for over twelve hours”.
The Kashmir Zone police in a post on ‘X’ said, “Two bodies recovered from the encounter site. Identification and affiliation being ascertained. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition recovered. Search in progress. Further details shall follow.”
A report from Jammu said that a police head constable was killed, and a Deputy Superintendent and an Assistant Sub Inspector of Police were injured in an encounter with the militants in the Bilawar region of the frontier Kathua district.
A police spokesman in Jammu said that the gunfight erupted between militants and the security forces in Danu Parol area of Bilawar on Saturday afternoon after a cordon-and-search operation was launched on receiving input about the movement of some suspicious persons carrying weapons.
Kathua with three other districts of the Jammu region will go to the polls on October 1 in the third and final phase of the J&K Assembly elections.
The police head-constable killed in the clash in Kathua district has been identified as Bashir Ahmad.
