The Hindu : Encounter with militant ends

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 25, 2002

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Encounter with militant ends

By Shujaat Bukhari

Securitymen taking position in front of the house where the militants were hiding at Gojibagh in Srinagar on Tuesday. — Photo: Nissar Ahmad

SRINAGAR SEPT. 24. The 18-hour-long battle between security forces and a militant in Gogji Bagh area here ended on Tuesday morning with the killing of a police constable and the militant. The encounter with the militant, who the authorities say belonged to the Lashkar-e-Taiba, came even as the Srinagar and Budgam districts went to the polls today.

The joint operation by police, the BSF and the CRPF, led by the DIG, BSF, Desraj, and Commandant 89 battalion, B.L. Chauhan, started on Monday evening after militants hiding in a palatial house fired at a patrol. A constable, Jagdesh Singh, was killed and the militants took the Sub-Divisional Police Officer, Mohammad Yousuf, and Inspector Bhagwant Singh hostage.

However, both the officers managed to come out safely under a cover of fire by the troops who had cordoned the building. The house was later blasted forcing the militant to come out.

Police said the militants were planning to carry out a suicide attack on the polling day. The IGP, Kashmir zone, K. Rajindra, and the IG, BSF, G.S.Gill, were supervising the operation while the DGP, A.K. Suri, visited the spot. The house owner, Sajjad Malik, was taken into custody by police for questioning.

A Jamait-ul Mujahideen spokesman denied that the police officials were rescued by the security forces but that ``they were freed by the militants on directions from high command''. He said four militants had taken shelter in the house and three had returned to their hideout.

In other militancy-related incidents, 19 people, including 11 civilians, were killed in various parts of the Jammu and Kashmir during the last 24 hours.

A strike was observed in Srinagar and other parts of the valley to protest the holding of the elections. The Hurriyat Conference gave the call and asked the people to boycott the polls. At several places in Srinagar demonstrations were held. The JKLF acting chairman, Javed Mir, was arrested by police along with his supporters.

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Encounter with militant ends