Terrorists involved in BJP leader’s killing gunned down in J&K

Two Lashkar-e-taiba militants, suspected of killing a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and two of his family members in July last year, were shot dead by security forces in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Sunday.

Police said a cordon and search operation was started on Saturday evening after security forces received information about the presence of the militants in the Watnira area of Bandipora. The state police, army and Central Reserve Police Force conducted a joint operation after they found out where the militants were hiding.

“Due restraint was exercised to avoid collateral damage. A surrender appeal was made to the terrorists. However, they brought down heavy fire on the security forces, forcing them to retaliate,” said Lt Col Emron Musavi, public relations officer, Defence, Srinagar.

The two militants were killed. “Their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter,” a police spokesman said.

The slain have been identified as Azad Ahmad Shah and Abid Rashid Dar alias Haqani, who were affiliated with the proscribed Lashkar-e-taiba outfit.

“The killed terrorist Abid Rahid Dar was a Pakistan-trained terrorist who had crossed over the Wagah Border in April 2018 and had infiltrated back in the year 2019,” the spokesman said.

Police said both the militants were involved in planning and executing terror attacks on civilians and security establishments. “Moreover, terrorist Abid Rashid Dar was instrumental in recruiting gullible youth into the terror ranks of proscribed terror outfit LET in North Kashmir,” the spokesman said.

The police spokesman said that both the slain militants, along with other two foreign militants named Usman and Sajad alias Haider, were involved in the killing of BJP leader Waseem Bari, his brother and father in July 2020.

“The involved foreign terrorists Usman and Sajad were already eliminated in an encounter at Kreeri on August 17, 2020, while the other two local terrorists got killed in today’s encounter,” the spokesman said.

The official said that all the four militants involved in case FIR No 74/2019 of Bandipora police station pertaining to the killing of Bari and his family are now dead.

“Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including two AK-47 rifles, one pistol and other incriminating material, were recovered from the site of encounter,” the spokesman said. A case under relevant sections of law has been registered and an investigation has been initiated. “People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely sanitised,” the police spokesman said.