Two militants wanted by National Investigation Agency for their alleged role in Udhampur attack were killed by Indian Army after they allegedly tried to break the cordon at Gusso hamlet in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district.Earlier on Wednesday Government Forces including men from 53 Rashtriya Rifles, 183 Battalion CRPF and counter insurgent group SOG from Pulwama laid a siege of Gusso hamlet after they received inputs about the presence of two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants in the village. After six hours massive search operation, two militants allegedly holed up in a residential house of one Muhammad Altaf Dar tried to break the cordon at around 11 on Wednesday night when Army men spotted them and shot them dead.
Witnesses told CNS that bodies of militants were shifted to police station Panthachowk police station for identification where one of the them was identified as Manzoor Ahmed Bhat, a resident of Alochi Bagh Samboora Pampore while the identity of the another slain militant could not be ascertained and his body was handed over to Auqaf Committee Boniyar Baramulla where he was laid to eternal rest. Sources identified this slain militant as Mehmood Zargam a resident of Pakistan.Reports said that the body of Manzoor Ahmed Bhat was handed over to the family on Thursday morning. Thousands of people from different hamlets of Pulwama district visited Samboora to participate in the last rites of the slain militant.
His first Nimaz-e-Jinazah was offered at Sports Stadium Samboora where all but 35,000 people were present. Thousands of people also participated in his second Nimaz-e-Jinazah that was offered in his native Alochibagh village. He was laid to rest amid pro-freedom and pro-Islamic slogans.The killing of these two militants sparked spontaneous shutdown while agitated youth clashed with police in Pulwama and Kakapora. Reports said that youth attacked police station Kakapora with stones prompting police to resort to tear-gas shelling. Complete shutdown was observed in Pulwama, Samboora, Kakapora, Newa and Pampore town against the killing of these militants.A police official told CNS that both the slain militants were wanted by NIA and carried a bounty of Rs five lakh each. “They were involved in Udhampur attack and were active from last 15 months in South Kashmir,” he said.
Meanwhile during late hours locals from Chattpora, Dalipora and Malikpora in Pulwama district took to streets and staged massive protest against what they say ‘police resorted to massive pepper gas shelling’ in these areas. Reports said that in a bid to disperse the protesters who attacked government forces with stones in Pulwama district, police used tear-smoke shells in the town. Locals however alleged that police used hundreds of pepper gas shells as a result people in their houses felt suffocation. Large number of people came out from their houses and staged a portest against the use of pepper gas shelling in the area. This “lethal weapon” is becoming deadly for us particularly elderly, children and those having asthma and other respiratory problems. Everytime there is a protest police use pepper gas to punish even those who stay indoors,” the protesters said. (CNS)