M A I N   N E W S

DSP, Head Constable die in encounter
Tribune News Service and UNI

Jammu, March 14
A DSP and a Head Constable of the Jammu and Kashmir police were killed when Pakistani trained terrorists lobbed a grenade on them in the border district town of Poonch this afternoon.

The mourning mother of DSP Manjeet Singh after his body was brought home on Friday in Jammu. — Photo Sarbjeet Singh

Reports said a CRPF constable was critically wounded in the exchange of fire that followed between the police and terrorists. The terrorists had taken positions in Hotel Anand in the heart of the town and were engaged in the encounter till the report was filed. A civilian was also wounded in the attack.

Unconfirmed reports said that two terrorists had been killed in the encounter.

The DSP killed has been identified as Mr Manjit Singh of Jammu town, while the Head Constable who lost his life is Mr Manohar Lal.

The security forces were assisting the authorities and have cordoned off the hotel.

The DSP along with a police party raided the hotel on receiving information about the presence of four terrorists there. However, the terrorists started indiscriminate firing on the policemen killing the DSP on the spot.

This is the third incident of terrorism in the twin border towns of Poonch and Rajouri in the Jammu division. A bus was blown off yesterday by terrorists in Rajouri town, killing a woman and an infant. A time bomb was seized from a bus a day earlier.

SRINAGAR: Five militants, two belonging to the Pakistan-based militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed, were killed in the Kashmir valley by security forces on Friday.

Official sources said an encounter took place between militants and security forces at Bonagam in the south Kashmir district of Anantnag during a search operation.

Three militants were killed, sources said, adding that the operation was under way when reports last came in.

In a separate incident, two Jaish militants were gunned down by the security forces in a fierce encounter at Magam in north Kashmir. Two AK rifles and some other arms and ammunition were seized from the slain militants.

In another encounter, security forces killed a militant in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag district in South Kashmir last night. An AK assault rifle, two hand grenades and some ammunition were seized from him.

A National Conference worker, Abdul Gani Bhat, was shot dead by militants at Brail village in Badgam district today, while an activist of the PDP, Abdullah Dar, was shot at and injured by ultras at Arampora village of Sopore in Baramula last night, official sources said.

The sources said bodies of two persons identified as Mohammad Asgar Sofi and Alam-din Khatana, both residents of Badgam, were fished out by police from a nullah in the Batmaloo area of Srinagar.

In Jammu, a shepherd Khushi Mohammed, was killed and his friend Nadeem Ahmed injured in Deota village of Doda district, when they accidentally stepped on an IED hidden in the pastures last afternoon.