Srinagar/March,5: The death toll in Shopian shoot out has reached six as the police recovered two more bodies Monday morning. One militant and three civilians dubbed over ground workers were killed during a shoot out Sunday evening. The situation in South Kashmir’s Shopian district was tense after the police recovered two more bodies Monday morninng.
A police spokesman said “two more bodies were recovered in Shopian district Monday morning. Police recovered the body of another militant, identified as Ashiq Hussain Bhat of Lashkar-e-Taiba, seven kilometre from Pahnoo where the army had fired upon two vehicles when they tried to flee from a Mobile Vehicle Check Post. They also fired on the army and policemen.Bhat was a resident of Rakh Karpan”.
The body of a civilian – Gowhar Ahmed Lone of Chitragam in Shopian – was also recovered from another vehicle near the firing incident. The army alleged that he was an overground worker of militant groups.
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militant and three civilians, also alleged to be overground workers for the militant group by the army, were killed in a firing incident last night in south Kashmir’s Shopian district after the ultras fired upon a joint check-point of the security forces.
A police official said a joint MVCP (mobile vehicle check post) near Pohan in Shopian had signalled a car to stop, but it did not. The army men were fired upon and they retaliated, in which a militant was killed.Police rushed to the spot and identified one of the deceased as Amir Ahmed Malik, who had joined the LeT militant group in July last year. Bodies of the others were handed over to their families, a police spokesperson had said. “Weapons have been seized and legal proceedings initiated,” he said.
Police and paramilitary forces were deployed in large numbers in Shopian area and other parts of the Kashmir Valley after Joint Resistance leadership comprising Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Molvi Umar Farooq and Mohammad Yaseen Malik called for valley wide shutdown against the Shopian killings.Authorities imposed restrictions in parts of Srinagar city on Monday to prevent Joint Resistance Leadership-called protests.Police said: “Partial restrictions will also remain in force in some areas falling under the jurisdiction of Maisuma and Kralkhud police stations of Srinagar to maintain law and order.” Internet and rail services have been suspended in south Kashmir.Shops, other businesses, public transport remained shut across Kashmir.
Schools and Colleges which were to open today after two-month-long winter break, were closed as a precautionary measure in the Valley. The Jammu & Kashmir Public Service Commission (J&K PSC)postponed the examination for KAS papers scheduled for Monday. The Kashmir University and the Board of School Education (J&K BOSE) too postponed the examination which were scheduled to held on Monday.
