J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

2 foreign militants among 6 killed
Srinagar, March 7
Two foreign militants and a surrendered activist of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were among six persons killed and three others injured while the security forces arrested a Lashkar militant in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours.

20 hurt as migrants clash with police
Jammu, March 7
Atleast 20 persons, including five policemen, were injured in clashes at Bellicharana near Satwari, 12 km from Jammu today.

2 foreign militants among 6 killed

Srinagar, March 7
Two foreign militants and a surrendered activist of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen were among six persons killed and three others injured while the security forces arrested a Lashkar militant in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 24 hours.

The Police said militants gunned down Zahoor Bhat at Qazibagh Anantnag and Mr Sabzar Ahmad Dar at Kulgam last evening while the body of Imtiaz Ahmad Bhat was recovered at Tral this morning.

Militants shot at and injured two special police officers at Nelo Kulgam yesterday while Mr Mukhtar Ahmad Malla was injured at Gowkadal last evening.

Militants hurled a grenade at the ITBP vehicle at Bijbehara in south Kashmir yesterday. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside without causing any damage.

The security forces arrested a militant of the Lashkar-e-Toiba at Watlar Ganderbal along with four rifle grenades and one AK magazine last evening.

The security forces killed two foreign militants immediately after they tried to enter an Army camp at Jarran Wali Gali in the Mendhar sector last evening. Two AK rifles with six magazines, eight hand grenades and 150 cartridges were seized.

Militants killed a surrendered militant of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Ghulam Ahmad Ganai at Kalaroos in north Kashmir today.

The security forces arrested a car owner and recovered 15 kg of explosive device in north Kashmir today. UNI

20 hurt as migrants clash with police
Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 7
Atleast 20 persons, including five policemen, were injured in clashes at Bellicharana near Satwari, 12 km from Jammu today.

The police resorted to a lathi charge and lobbed teargas shells when groups of migrants resisted attempts by the police to arrest three persons for having instigated encroachment of forest land near Sidhra on February 25 in which four persons were burnt alive in a fire incident. The migrants had come to Sidhra from Bellicharana to find suitable place for temporary settlement. They set on fire tall sarkanda in which four persons were trapped and lost their lives.

As a police team entered the migrant camp early this morning the refugees from Poonch and Rajouri stoned the police party. The police first resorted to lathi charge and then lobbed teargas shells in which 15 persons were injured. Five policemen received injuries when they were hit by stones.

Additional forces were rushed to the area and three persons were arrested.

After two hours of clashes the area became calm but within three hours the migrants staged a demonstration and stoned the police party that had been kept there to maintain law and order. The police burst teargas shells again.

Government sources said certain vested interests had sneaked into the groups of migrants for grabbing forest land. They said these elements had spoiled the case of genuine migrants from Poonch and Rajouri who had left their ancestral villages after they had received threats from the militants.

The sources said Jammu and its adjoining areas had become a second home for the migrants since 1990. They disclosed that about one lakh migrant families had been registered so far and out of them were 28,000 families from the Kashmir valley. Pressure had mounted on the government for registering migrants from the Doda, Poonch, Rajouri and Pallanwala sectors so that they could also receive some relief from the government.