SSB jawan manning rail tunnel shot dead

Another killed in Kerni, HM terrorist arrested

BANIHAL: A head constable of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) was today killed in mysterious firing and another jawan was injured in Banihal area on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, a senior police officer said.
The incident took place at around 7.15 pm and the police is investigating the cause of the firing, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ramban, Mohan Lal said.
"An SSB head constable suffered a fatal casualty in the brief firing while another jawan lost his jaw bone due to an attack by some blunt object," Lal said.
The deceased received one gunshot and his body was removed to the hospital for post-mortem, officials said, adding the injured jawan was also evacuated to a hospital for treatment.
"It is premature to say anything about the incident right now. We are ascertaining the details," the SSP said while not ruling out either a militant attack or fratricide.
He, however, said there was no retaliation from the SSB personnel to the firing.
The jawans were manning a post outside an 8.5 km-long under-construction tunnel connecting Banihal town of Ramban district in Jammu province with Kulgam district's Qazigund, the gateway to the Kashmir valley.
Meanwhile, an Army jawan was killed and three others were wounded in sniper attack from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kupwara district earlier on Wednesday.
The Pakistani troops targeted the Indian soldiers deployed at their 'Pimple Post' in Kupwara's Keran sector earlier during the day, injuring four jawans of 5/9 GR unit of the Indian Army.
Upon being airlifted to the Army's 92-Base Hospital at Badami Bagh Cantonment, one of them identified as Rajesh Khatri was declared dead on arrival.
The Army sources said that it was a sniper attack carried out from across the de facto border as the area was calm till this incident took place. However, after the incident, the facing armies exchanged small arms for some time in this sector, the sources said.
However, it is not yet know if the Pakistani troops suffered any casualties in the Indian retaliatory action.
In third major happening of the day, the state police arrested a Hizbul Mujahideen operative on Wednesday, making it the third arrest of a militant this month.
"HM militant Aadil Ahmad arrested from Bijbihara in South Kashmir by Anantnag Police in a joint operation with 1RR, 3RR & 90Bn CRPF," a police spokesperson said.
The Twitter handle of the deputy inspector general of police, south Kashmir, posted a file picture Ahmad brandishing a rifle with ammunition strapped on his chest.
The arrest comes at a time when the security forces in the Valley have appealed to the militants to shun the gun and join the mainstream.
In two separate encounters on September 10 and 11, the police arrested a militant and an overground worker apart from gunning down four operatives.