As part of the anti-militancy operations of the security forces, an encounter with hiding ultras began in south Kashmir’s Anantnag on Friday evening. Meanwhile, a soldier wounded in an explosion in Shopian on Thursday succumbed to his injuries.
“An encounter has started at the Rishipora area of Anantnag. The security forces are on the job,” police said. Two to three militants are believed to be hiding at the encounter site.
The police said that in the initial exchange of fire, three army personnel and one civilian got injured in the Anantnag encounter.
"All the injured were immediately airlifted to the 92 Base hospital in Srinagar for treatment and (their condition) is stated to be stable. The operation is going on,” the police said.
In another late evening incident, two non-local workers received minor injuries due to a grenade blast, detonated by militants, in Aglar Zainapora area of South Kashmir’s Shopian district.
The police said the condition of the injured is stable.
Meanwhile, the Army on Friday said one soldier, Naik Praveen, who was grievously injured in Shopian, succumbed to his injuries at the Command Hospital, Udhampur, Jammu.
Three soldiers were injured when an explosion took place inside a civilian vehicle carrying personnel towards the Patitohalan area in Shopian district on Thursday, following a tip-off about the presence of militants.
“During the move to the target area, an explosion took place in a civil hired vehicle, being used for the operation, resulting in injuries to three soldiers,” the Army said. The deceased soldier belongs to the Tehri Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and is survived by his wife and a six-year-old son, the Army added.
FIR against Sikh group
Meanwhile, the police have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against a Sikh group under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).
“It has been reliably learnt that some persons and groups, which include the Sikhs for Justice, have been disseminating anti-national messages ahead of the coming Amarnath Yatra and are indulging in activities promoting enmity between different religious groups,” a police spokesman said.
The police said these groups were disseminating secessionist messages and ideology and questioning and disrupting sovereignty and territorial integrity of India. “Such activities are likely to cause disturbance of peace and public order in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. On the basis of above information received, an FIR is registered. It prime facie constitutes offence under Section 13 UA(P) Act and Sections 153-A, 153-B, 505 of the IPC and an investigation has been set into motion,” the police said.
