Militant who killed CRPF jawan, kid gunned down in J&K

SRINAGAR: The militant responsible for the attack on Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Anantnag, which claimed the life of a jawan and a six-year-old boy, was killed in an encounter on Friday, police said.

Police said the slain militant, Zahid Dass of Waghema, was responsible for the attack on a CRPF party on the national highway in Padshahi Bagh.

On Thursday night, the police and the CRPF initiated a search and cordon operation at Mallabagh in Srinagar. With the area was being cordoned, the militants attacked the security forces resulting an encounter, in which one militant and a CRPF jawan were killed. The militant’s accomplices managed to escape under the cover of darkness though the search continued for several hours.

A police spokesperson said, “Acting on an input about the presence of militants in Malla Bagh and during the search operation the hiding militants fired on the joint search party.

“In the ensuing encounter,

Dass, who was affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Islamic State of Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK) was killed,” the police spokesperson said. “One CRPF head constable Kuldeep Kumar was critically injured during the encounter and later succumbed to his injuries,” the spokesperson said.

Police said Dass was wanted for his complicity in a number of crimes, including killings of police and security forces and civilian atrocities.

The spokesperson said Dass had escaped an encounter on June 30 in Anantnag in which two militants the Islamic State were killed. “Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site,” the spokesman said.

Kashmir inspector general, Vijay Kumar, termed the killing ‘a big success for the forces’. Police said in view of the pandemic, Dass’ body has been sent to Handwara for burial and last rites. “The nearest kin of the terrorist were allowed to participate in the last rites at Handwara,’’ the spokesperson said.