Srinagar, June 13
Troops averted an infiltration bid when they gunned down a militant in the Poonch sector, while the Jammu and Kashmir police apprehended six exfiltrators who were crossing over to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) during the past 24 hours, an official spokesman said today.

Elsewhere in the state, four militants were among the seven people killed, while the security forces seized a large cache of arms and ammunition, he added.

Troops guarding the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector noticed a few militants crossing into the Indian side last night.

When challenged, the militants opened fire and in the ensuing gunfight, one militant was killed. However, the others escaped under the cover of darkness. An AK rifle was seized from the slain militant.

An encounter took place between the militants and the security forces at Sikri Top in Doda district of Jammu region early today, during which three ultras were killed. One woman also sustained injuries during the encounter.

One AK rifle, one INSAS rifle and one UBGL were seized from the slain militants, the spokesman said.

The security forces gunned down a militant during an encounter at Phera-Djharamsal in Rajouri last evening. One AK rifle, four magazines, two hand grenades and one wireless set were seized.

Militants abducted Mohammad Shafi, a resident of Mashal Gool in Udhampur district last evening.

The police recovered his bullet-riddled body today from a nearby nullah in the same district.

Militants also shot at and injured Abdul Gani Parray of Gopalpora-Kulgam in Anantnag district today. Parray succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital, the spokesman said.

The police recovered an unidentified body at Yangroo village in Kupwara district.

The spokesman said the police apprehended six youths at Trehgam in Kupwara district who were crossing over to PoK for receiving arms training. — UNI

Jammu, June 13
A large number of sadhus and hermits have started reaching Jammu in connection with the ensuing annual Amarnath pilgrimage. Though officially the first batch of pilgrims will leave Jammu on July 6, scores of civilians and sadhus have begun visiting the mountain cave in eastern Kashmir from the Baltal route.

This correspondent saw groups of sadhus leaving for the cave on foot from Jammu. Covering 20 to 25 km every day, these groups of sadhus are expected to reach Srinagar in another 10 days.

Shrine Board sources said there had been no ban on civilians and others on trekking to the holy cave from the Baltal route. They said those visiting the cave prior to the start of the yatra would not be provided any security cover though the Srinagar-Jammu highway and the entire mountain route from Baltal to the cave have been brought under tight security cover.

More than 300 langars would be setup on the twin routes, one from Baltal and the other from Pahalgam, for providing free food and other eatables to the yatris.

The Shrine Board has taken measures for improving the mountain route and for clearing those stretches of the track that are still buried under the snow.

Shelter sheds too would be constructed by the board and the state government has finalised a plan of providing adequate medical facilities for the pilgrims.

In addition to large contingents of police, paramilitary forces were being deployed on the 300-km Srinagar-Jammu highway and on the twin routes to the cave.

Each caravan of pilgrims, leaving Jammu for the holy cave from July 6, will be escorted by three groups of security personnel.

The Shrine Board expects about five lakh pilgrims to visit the cave this year against four lakh last year.