J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

5 BSF men killed in blast
Tribune News Service and UNI

JAMMU, April 26 — Five BSF men were killed and one officer was wounded in an IED blast that wrecked the Gypsy in which they were travelling in the border belt of R.S. Pora late last evening. Reports said that the Pak agents had planted the IED on the road linking Gharana with Nawapind post in R.S. Pora.

Relatives of a family of four who were shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday night cry after identifying the bodies. The incident took place at the Goigam village, west of Srinagar. — AFP photo

As the Gypsy, carrying six persons including one Assistant Commandant, Mr Happy Verma, reached Gharana it was wrecked in the IED explosion. Two BSF men died on the spot. Three others succumbed to injuries in the military hospital. Mr Happy Verma, who was also injured, was admitted to hospital where his condition is said to be out of danger.

Those killed included constable Sudesh from West Bengal, Kirpal Singh, Sub-Inspector, Pawan Kumar, constable and Ashok Kumar, constable.

The police said that in recent weeks Pak agents had become active in the R.S. Pora-Kathua belt. Yesterday RDX-fitted remote control device had been found from one passenger bus at Kathua and another IED concealed in a milk can from the border in the Hiranagar area.

An official spokesman told UNI in Srinagar that a group of unidentified militants entered the house of Abdul Gani Dar at Goigam Tangmarg in Baramula district of North Kashmir and sprayed bullets on the inmates with automatic weapons.

Sources said a decomposed body of Mohammad Sadiq, who was missing since may 1999, was recovered at a village in Bandipora last night.

An encounter took place between militants and security forces at Nech-Nallah village in the wee hours today during a search operation.

Sources said three militants, two of them foreigners, and two security personnel were killed so far. Some arms and ammunition were also recovered from the site of encounter.

A government ration depot was gutted under in North Kashmir early this morning causing damage to rice, atta and sugar worth Rs 7 lakh.

Militants shot dead a special police officer Tariq Ahmad at Serigufwara main market this afternoon while, at Khawaja Bazar Sopore, ultras shot at and critically wounded a surrendered militant Nissar Ahmad.

Students of almost all government educational institutions in the frontier district of Kupwara boycotted their classes and took to streets in protest against an incident where a teacher Ghulam Mohammad had been missing.

Ghulam Mohammad, a teacher in girls high school is missing since April 1.