Anantnag, June 16: Life was completely disrupted in South Kashmir after a fierce encounter between Indian troopers and the militant and the subsequent killing of two civilians on Friday.
Reports said that a fierce encounter started between the trapped militants believed to be three in number and the government forces in Arwani Bijbehara area of South Kashmir.
As the siege was laid around the area where militants were hiding, large number of protesters hit to roads and tried to hamper the operation against the militants. The local protesters amid pro-freedom slogans hurled rocks on the troopers who retaliated with pellets, bullets and tear-smoke shells.
Eyewitnesses told news agency CNS that scores of protesters suffered pellet and bullet injuries while two civilians succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Within a span of less than 24 hours, three civilians fall prey to the bullets fired by government forces.
Witnesses said that as the protests intensified, government forces used all tactics to disperse the agitated protesters. A civilian was killed when government forces fired upon protesters near the encounter site. The victim was identified as 34-year-old Muhammad Ashraf Khar. According to the police, he caught in the cross fire, however, locals refuted the police claim. Khar had received a bullet injury in his chest.
Another teenager boy was killed in the clashes. The 14-years-old was hit by bullet in chest near the encounter site. He was referred to Qaimoh hospital, locals said, where doctors declared him brought dead. The deceased was identified as Ahsan Dar son of Mushtaq Ahmad Dar from Shamsipora area of Kulgam.
During the day long clashes scores of protesters were wounded. The rumours were ripe from the Friday morning that LeT top commander Junaid Ahmed Matoo has been killed in the encounter. The news was not confirmed by any official sources though. Unconfirmed reports said two militants including Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Junaid Mattoo were killed in the encounter.
They were among the three militants who were trapped inside the house.
Junaid Mattoo, a local boy of Khudwani, was among the three trapped inside the house along with Azad Malikand a Pakistani militant.
Mattoo was in lime light after he shot dead two policemen in broad daylight at the busy Anantnag bus stand in June 2016. He was seen on CCTV footage carrying out the dastardly act.
(CNS)
