Tangmarg: Failing to ‘motivate’ two trapped Militants to surrender Government Forces on Friday killed them by blasting a residential house in Khonchipora Tangmarg area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla District.
I personally tried to motivate these militants to surrender but they flatly refused,” SSP Baramulla told reporters shortly after the culmination of Gunfight.
He identified the slain Militants as Mehrajuddin Bhat of Indergam Pattan and Adil Ahmed Mir, a resident of Bratkalan Sopore.
Eyewitnesses told that after a tip off, Army personnel from 2 Rashtriya Rifles assisted by Special Operation Group Pattan and Kreeri cordoned off Khonchipora Kunzar hamlet of Tangmarg town. Militants were reportedly present in the house of one Ghulam Nabi Dar. “After evacuating family members, we requested some on the elderly person to persuade militants to surrender. We didn’t want to kill them. Couple of elderly persons visited the house but failed to persuade them for surrender,” said a police official.
The Government Forces reportedly blasted the house after planning two Improvised Explosive Devices (IED’s). The explosion according to locals not only razed the house to ground but it also caused damage to adjacent houses. Reporter informed that both the trapped Militants were found alive even after the mine blast creating deafening sound.
Shortly after the mine blasts, a JCB were used to retrieve the bodies of Militants from the damaged house, however, the driver of the JCB fled from the spot after spotting both the Militants alive in the debris.Government Forces in a bid to neutralize both the wounded Militants resorted to indiscriminate firing resulting in the death of duo.
Reports said that a group of youth tried to pelt stones on government troopers near the encounter site, however, CRPF chased them away.
Reports added that both the Militants were affiliated with Hizbul Mujhadeen. One of the slain Militant Mehrajuddin Bhat was a post graduate student and was active from past 3 years in North Kashmir.
The killing of these two Militants sparked protest in Palhalan and Pattan area. Reports said that thousands of mourners participated in the last rites of these militants. A youth who was identified as Rafiq Ahmed Hajam was electrocuted while on way towards local grave yard when a HT line suddenly fall upon him. He was shifted to Srinagar hospital in critical condition. Meanwhile the encounter and subsequent death of these Militants disrupted normal life in Kunzar, Tangmarg, Palhalan, Pattan and other adjacent areas of North Kashmir.
