Srinagar, Mar 25: A Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militant was killed and a woman injured during a gunfight between government forces and the militants in central Kashmir’s Budgam district, police said.
“On specific inputs regarding the presence of militants, police, 53 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) launched a cordon and search operation in Khan Mohalla of Arizal village of Beerwah Tehsil in Budgam around midnight,” police spokesman said in a statement.
He said as the forces were conducting the searches, a militant tried to flee by coming out of a house and firing indiscriminately on the forces. The government forces retaliated and the militant was killed, the spokesman said.
He said the slain militant has been identified as Shafat Hussain Wani, son of Mohammad Akbar Wani, a resident of Wagoora area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
Wani was affiliated with LeT since April 2017, the spokesman said.
He said incriminating materials, including arms and ammunition, mobile phones and cash worth Rs 30000 have been recovered from the encounter site.
Spokesman also said a woman identified as Humaira received an injury in her thigh when the hiding militant was trying to escape by firing indiscriminately.
“She was evacuated to a Bones and Joints Hospital by the police and her condition is stated to be stable,” he said.
Legal proceedings have been initiated by police and investigation taken up, he said.
Meanwhile, thousands of people later attended the last rites of slain militants at his native Wagoora village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
An eye witness said that thousands of mourners, including men, women and elderly, assembled in Wagoora after the news of Shafat Hussain Wani’s death reached there.
Pro-freedom slogans were raised by the mourners as the body of Wani was laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard.
Government forces were also deployed in strength in and around Wagoora area to prevent any “untoward incident”.
Authorities also suspended the mobile Internet service in parts of Baramulla soon after Wani’s killing.
