Six militant killed in Anantnag encounter including one accused of assassination of Journalist Shujaat

SRINAGAR, NOV 23 (PTK): One of the six militants killed in the Anantnag encounter on Friday morning was accused of assassinating senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari.

The militant has been identified Azad Ahmad Malik alias Azad Dada, a member of banned outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba, who belonged to Anantnag’s Arwani village. ” Malik was one of the six militants killed in the encounter that broke out between militants and security forces in Sekipora area of Bijbhera in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district in the wee hours of Friday. Indian Army`s 3 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) and state police jointly conducted the operation. The other five militants neutralised in the encounter were identified as Unais Shafi, Shahid Bashir, Basit Ishtiyaq, Aqib Najar and Firdous Najar”, police said.

Bukhari, the editor-in-chief of local daily Rising Kashmir, was killed on June 14 by three men outside his office at press enclave in Srinagar. Two of his personal security officers were also killed in the attack.

Hours after the sensational killing, police had released CCTV grabs of the three attackers, who were riding a motorcycle. While one of the attackers was wearing a helmet, the other had worn a mask.

State police later released the names and pictures of four people – Malik, Muzaffar Ahmad, Naveed Jutt and Sajad Gul – as the accused in the Bukhari’s assassination.Malik, Ahmad and Jutt were identified as LeT militants while gunman Sajad Gul was a Kashmiri based in Pakistan.

Police said that based on a credible input about the presence of militants, a cordon and search operation was launched in a forested area of Sekipora. “As the operation was underway, the search party was fired upon by militants. The fire was retaliated leading to a gunfight. Incriminating materials, including a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of encounter. Five AK and one INSAS rifle have been recovered”, police added.

Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation in the matter.   Meanwhile three persons have suffered injuries during clashes with government forces in Bijbehara town . Reports said that one of the three injured received a bullet injury in the right arm and was shifted to Srinagar for treatment.

 The other two injured, they said, were treated at a local hospital. The clashes erupted in the town after congregational Friday prayers over the killings of six militants in the neighborhood. (PTK)