J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

Hizb module busted; 5 terrorists held

Srinagar, June 17 The Jammu and Kashmir Police today claimed to have achieved a major breakthro- ugh in cases relating to various incidents of violence incl- uding grenade attacks and car blasts in the valley during the past one-and-a-half months.

(From right) Jammu and Kashmir DGP Gopal Sharma with IGP S.M. Sah brief mediapersons in the valley in Srinagar on Saturday. — Tribune photo by Amin War

2 militants killed in J&K
Baramula, June 17
Three persons, including two militants, were killed in Kashmir overnight, official sources said. Unidentified militants shot at and critically wounded a shop owner, Bahasrat Ahmad Sheikh, at Chenkipora, Sopore, in this district late last night. He was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar where he died early this morning.

Amarnath Yatra resumes
Srinagar, June 17
The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath resumed from the Baltal route today with improvement in weather, even as it remained suspended from Jammu.
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Hizb module busted; 5 terrorists held
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, June 17
The Jammu and Kashmir Police today claimed to have achieved a major breakthrough in cases relating to various incidents of violence including grenade attacks and car blasts in the valley during the past one-and-a-half months. These included the grenade explosion on a tourist bus in which four tourists from Gujarat had died and six others got injured at Zakoora, hours after the conclusion of second roundtable conference here on May 25 last. Vital clues have also been found in the killing of Nepalese labourers in the Kulgam area of Anantnag district on Monday last.

Disclosing this, Director-General of Police, Mr Gopal Sharma, said here this afternoon that three militants were arrested by the Budgam police and two by the Srinagar police that led to the cracking of five grenade explosions. These explosions included the Zakoora bus explosion and others at Kothi Bagh, Maisuma, Badyari Chowk and Qamarwari here since January this year.

The police had also been successful in cracking the car-blasts cases that took place at four spots here and the mastermind in this connection had been arrested, Mr Sharma said. The mastermind, Mohammad Amin from Mochua village, near here, who is a car mechanic by profession, used to prepare cars for the militants to carry out such blasts, the DGP said.

“He has revealed as to how he prepared cars for such blasts by converting fuel tanks and filling them with explosives,” Mr Sharma said. He added that cars prepared by the mechanic were blasted at the TRC crossing, Bemina bypass, Rawalpora and airport road on different occasions.

2 militants killed in J&K

Baramula, June 17
Three persons, including two militants, were killed in Kashmir overnight, official sources said. Unidentified militants shot at and critically wounded a shop owner, Bahasrat Ahmad Sheikh, at Chenkipora, Sopore, in this district late last night. He was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar where he died early this morning.

On a tip-off, the security forces and the police cordoned off Zaloora village late last night to arrest militants hiding there. However, when the security forces were about to storm a particular house, militants hiding inside, opened fire and hurled grenades.

The security forces retaliated and two militants were killed in the night-long operation.

The house from where the militants were firing on the security forces was also damaged in the encounter. Resident alleged that the security forces fired mortars to blast the house.

Two AK rifles and other arms and ammunition were seized from the spot. — UNI

Amarnath Yatra resumes

Srinagar, June 17
The annual pilgrimage to the Himalayan cave shrine of Amarnath resumed from the Baltal route today with improvement in weather, even as it remained suspended from Jammu.

The yatra resumed with a batch of 5317 pilgrims proceeding towards the shrine, a spokesman of Shri Amarnath Shrine Board said.

The holy journey had been suspended yesterday due to heavy rains and snowfall in upper reaches of the Pir Panjal range.

However, the spokesman said the authorities did not allow any pilgrim from Pahalgam route in view of heavy rains and snowfall at Mahagunus pass.

The pilgrims have been asked not to venture from this route till weather improves.

Meanwhile, official sources in Jammu said the yatra would remain suspended from the city for today and tomorrow due to inclement weather prevailing along Pahalgam route.

Yesterday, a batch of 1,498 pilgrims had left from the base camp of MAM stadium in Jammu for onward journey to the cave shrine, they said, adding so far over 3,800 pilgrims had left from the city to the shrine since the beginning of the annual pilgrimage on June 10.

Earlier, the journey was suspended from Jammu for four consecutive days from June 11 to 14.

Adequate arrangements have been made for lodging and boarding pilgrims scheduled to arrive in the city in the next two days, the sources added. — PTI