Militant killed in Pulwama gunfight

SRINAGAR: A militant was killed while as three soldiers, one of them critical and a cop were injured in an encounter that broke out between militants and security forces in South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Tuesday morning.
The critical jawan was reported have succumbed to his injuries; however, the police denied the same earlier in the day, even as no official confirmation had arrived till the filing of this report. A joint team of Police, army’s 53 RR and CRPF launched a cordon and search operation on specific information about the presence of militants in Goosu area of Pulwama in wee hours of Tuesday.
“As the joint team of forces approached towards the suspected spot, the hiding militants fired upon them which was retaliated triggering an encounter,” an official said.
He said that during a brief exchange of fire, a militant was killed while three soldiers and a cop from J&K Police received injuries.
He said injured soldiers were evacuated to 92 base hospital Srinagar where condition of one of them identified as NK Rajendra who received bullet injury in abdomen and back side is said to be critical while two others—Sepoy Amandeep Singh and Sepoy Kishore are stable and responding to the treatment.
After initial exchange of fire, cordon was tightened in the area and door to door search operation was started in the area.
However, the cordon was lifted at 5:30 pm as no fresh contact was established with the militants.
Meanwhile as a precautionary measure, internet services have been snapped in Pulwama Police district
Earlier it was reported that a soldier succumbed to his injuries at Army’s 92 base hospital.
But, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that no soldier has been killed in the encounter. “Two Army jawans and a policeman have been injured in the exchange of fire,” he added.
Mobile internet services have been suspended for security reason in the district.