Two of family shot, 3 militants held
SRINAGAR, Dec 10 — Militants gunned down two members of a family and exploded a grenade while security forces smashed six militant hideouts and arrested three of them in Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Strike paralyses life in J&K
SRINAGAR, Dec 10 — Normal life came to a standstill in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir valley today following a dawn-to-dusk general strike called by the Hurriyat Conference.

Two of family shot, 3 militants held

SRINAGAR, Dec 10 (PTI) — Militants gunned down two members of a family and exploded a grenade while security forces smashed six militant hideouts and arrested three of them in Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Militants last evening forced their way into the house of one Jehangir Ahmad Khan at Sonabrari in the Kokernag area of Anantnag district and opened indiscriminate fire, killing Khan and his son, an official spokesman said, adding the reason behind the attack was not known.

Panic gripped Malaratta today when militants shot at and critically injured a security guard at the Jammu and Kashmir bank, he said.

Militants hurled a grenade at a security picket at Fatehkadal here last evening. However, it missed the target.

Three militants were apprehended by the security forces during search operations at Panchkut village in Kupwara yesterday. Arms and ammunitions were seized from them.

Security forces also smashed six militant hideouts during intensified search operations at Ladi forest-Trehgam in Kupwara, Wogub, Maidan forest, Batpora and Safapora in Baramula, Mughama in Pulwama and Krad-Darhal in Rajouri yesterday.

JAMMU: A top Hizbul Mujahideen militant was among three persons killed in militancy-related incidents in Rajouri and Udhampur districts of Jammu division since Thursday evening, official reports said today.

BSF troops shot dead Abdullah Mandokhal, ‘group commander’ of the Hizbul Mujahideen, in an operation in the Siyankot area of Budhal tehsil in Rajouri on Thursday evening, the reports said.

In another operation, BSF troops killed another Hizbul Mujahideen militant, Abdul Gaffar, alias Jehangir, in the Deolmarg area of Gulabgarh in Udhampur district. Jehangir was active in the Mahore area of the past three years.

Strike paralyses life in J&K

SRINAGAR, Dec 10 (PTI) — Normal life came to a standstill in Srinagar and other major towns of the Kashmir valley today following a dawn-to-dusk general strike called by the Hurriyat Conference.

The strike, coinciding with World Human Rights Day, was called to protest against what the hurriyat called ‘’unabated human rights violations being committed by the security forces in the Kashmir valley".

The streets in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley wore a deserted look as shops and business establishments remained closed and transport went off the roads in response to the strike.

Government and semi-government offices, courts, educational institutions, banks, government-run ration depots and other establishments also remained closed in the valley in view of the strike, official sources said.

However, the sources said skeletal transport was plying on some routes in Srinagar and other parts of the valley.

Meanwhile, the police and security forces were seen patrolling the sensitive areas of Srinagar today to maintain law and order.

No untoward incident was reported from any part of the bandh-hit valley, so far, the sources said.

Meanwhile, six activists of the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (JKDFP), including its President, Shabir Ahmad Shah, were taken into preventive custody here today as police foiled an attempt of the party to take out a procession on World Human Rights Day.

They were arrested soon after they came out of their headquarters at Rajbagh in the heart of the city and attempted to take out a procession in violation of prohibitory orders, official sources said.

In a memorandum addressed to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and submitted by party workers to the UN military observers group here, Shah said "a peaceful settlement to the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan through a meaningful dialogue is all more an unavoidable necessity now considering the fact that both the countries have gone nuclear".