The encounter in Melhora village of South Kashmir’s Shopian district ended with the killing of three militants. Two houses, were destroyed while 2 soldiers and 2 civilians were injured. Pertinently, a joint team of the Indian Army, police and the Central Reserve Police Force launched a search operation in Melhora village in Shopian on Tuesday, following which the gunfight began.“As the operation was underway, the hiding militants opened fire which triggered a gunfight,” said an official. The encounter culminated on Wednesday after the bodies of all the three militants were recovered from the debris. An army officer was evacuated from the encounter site in a chopper to Srinagar based hospital after a militant under debris fired bullets upon him.All the 3 bodies of the militants were shifted to Police Control Room Srinagar and if sources are to be believed they were buried in Sheeri Baramulla.Clashes erupt during and after the encounter resulting in the injuries of couple of civilians. A woman suffered bullet injuries while a civilian sustained pellet injuries in his eye.Clashes continued for hours together between government forces and civilians after the encounter, eyewitnesses said.Large number of people offered funeral prayers in absentia for these 3 militants after Nimaz Zuhar in the premises of Jamia Masjid Melhora village. Eyewitnesses told KNT that over 1500 people offered the prayers.This is the second time an encounter has broken out in Melhora village over the past week. On April 22, four militants were killed in a gunfight in the village.So for 29 militants have been killed this month. (KNT)