M A I N   N E W S

Three militants killed
Gunbattle at mosque, Major hurt

SRINAGAR, March 26 (PTI) — A jawan and three militants were killed today in heavy gunfire by the ultras holed up in a mosque and adjacent houses in Handwara town of North Kashmir.

As troops tightened the cordon around the mosque and adjoining houses in the wee hours of today, the militants, rejecting offers of surrender by the Army and Muslim clerics, opened heavy firing killing a jawan and injuring Major Ravindran of Rashtriya Rifles, a Defence spokesman said.

An Army PRO clarified in New Delhi that Major Ravindaran was not killed as reported earlier but only injured in the ongoing encounter near the mosque, according to a UNI report.

The security personnel returned the fire in self-defence, he said.

He said three militants, who jumped out of the mosque to escape, were killed. One more militant is presumed to be holding out inside the mosque and the operation to flush him out would last through the night, an Army statement said.

An explosion was heard this evening from the mosque from where the militants were firing intermittently on the Army personnel who surrounded the place of worship and adjoining buildings, an official spokesman told PTI here.

Three to four militants took shelter last evening in the mosque on being challenged by security forces during a combing operation in village Check-e-Dedikote, 90 km from here in frontier district of Kupwara.

Brig R.K. Karwal, in charge of the operations, ruled out storming of the mosque and said his troops were exercising utmost restraint to avoid destruction of the holy place.

Security forces, on getting information about the presence of militants in Check-e-Dedikote village, cordoned off the area and sealed escape routes from the village last evening, the sources said.

Cornered by troops, the militants fired indiscriminately at them seriously injuring a jawan, they said, adding that the troops chased the militants who took shelter in a mosque and adjoining houses.

The police and para-military forces repulsed two militant attacks on Pattan police station in Baramula district last night, an official spokesman said.

He said the ultras fired rockets at the police station at 10.40 p.m. but the policemen returned the fire forcing them to retreat.

The ultras launched a second attack nearly three hours later firing several rockets at the police station, the spokesman said, adding that the attack was repulsed.

The militants had attacked the police station on March 21 wounding five cops.

In another incident, a jawan died and another was wounded when a group of ultras ambushed a patrol party of Rashtriya Rifles at Nowgam in Baramula sector last night, the spokesman said.

Six Army personnel, including an officer, were injured in heavy firing and shelling by Pakistani troops from across the Line of Control in the Jhangar area of Nowshera sector in Jammu division since yesterday, official reports said here today.

Pakistani soldiers resorted to heavy firing and shelling on defence and civilian areas in Jhangar forcing Indian troops to retaliate, the report said.

In the ensuing exchange of fire, a commanding officer and five jawans were injured, they said.

Intermittent mortar firing between two sides has also been reported in Laam, Sunderbani and Poonch sectors since yesterday.

Pakistani Rangers and Border Security Force troops also exchanged fire at 18 places in Akhnoor, R.S. Pura and Samba sub-sectors last night, but no casualty or damage was caused to the Indian side.

Five militants and an Army man were killed and four wounded in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening while militants attacked the house of a Lok Dal leader.

Two unidentified militants were killed in an ambush by the police and the BSF at Sathu-Kinihama in Nowgam area on the outskirts of Srinagar today.

An assault rifle, a Chinese pistol, two grenades and ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

He said the security forces shot dead a militant at Budnar village in Baramula district of north Kashmir last night.

Army troops shot dead a militant in Manasbal area on the outskirts of Srinagar last evening. The deceased was identified as Mohammad Yousuf Malla, a member of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen,

Another militant was gunned down by the security forces in the frontier district of Kupwara yesterday. An Army man was wounded in the shootout, the spokesman said.

The troops returned the fire but the militants managed to escape under the cover of darkness. The deceased was identified as Lance Naik Mohammad Junaid.

Meanwhile, state unit President of the Lok Dal Bashir Ahmad escaped unhurt a militant attack at his house in Pulwama district but the police posted outside repulsed the attack.

The police assisted by paramilitary forces repulsed attacks on a police station since last night and arrested three militants.

Militants fired four rockets and hurled grenades followed by firing at a police station in Pattan in Baramula district of north Kashmir last night and early today. The police and CRPF personnel deployed at the station repulsed the militant attacks, the spokesman said.

Unidentified gunmen shot at and injured two persons in Srinagar.

Militants exploded a bomb on the main road at Ganjbagh between Sogan and Kupwara in north Kashmir last evening, but no damage was caused.

Two militants of Lashker-e-Toiba were arrested by the police from their hideout at Arampora in Badgam district of central Kashmir yesterday.