SRINAGAR, Sept 27 — A top militant of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, allegedly involved in rocket attacks on Civil Secretariat, was among seven persons killed in an encounter at Parimpora on the outskirts of Srinagar city this morning. Others killed in the incident included four civilians and two police personnel. Seven others were injured and the cowshed, where the militant was hiding, was gutted in the exchange of fire.

Elsewhere, at least six persons, including five militants were killed in separate incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir since yesterday.

A police spokesman here said that partially burnt body of Showkat Ahmad Lone, alias Pupa Lone, “Divisional Commander” of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen was recovered from the cowshed where he was hiding. The encounter ensued when the hiding militant lobbed a number of grenades in quick succession on the raiding party followed by firing resulting in injuries to eight police and CRPF personnel and five civilians. The police assisted by the CRPF raided the house early this morning on the receipt of a specific information.

Out of injured civilians four succumbed to their injuries and were identified as Ghulam Mohammad Sheikh and Bashir Ahmad Sheikh of Parimpora, and Ghulam Qadir Mir and Ghulam Hassan Mir of Handwara in Kupwara district. Out of security personnel injured, Head Constable Javed Iqbal of Budgam and Constable Mahipaul Singh of the CRPF later succumbed to their injuries.

Showkat Ahmad Lone, alias Pupa Lone, a resident of Banpora, Batamaloo, had crossed over from Hizbul Mujahideen to Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in 1998, the police said. “He in close association with terrorist “Mana Baba” of Batamaloo, was responsible for a number of major actions including rocket attacks on New Secretariat”, a police spokesman claimed.