Terrorist killed, magisterial probe into civilian’s killing

SRINAGAR: A terrorist was killed in an encounter which has been going on since Tuesday night with security forces in Kupwara district today.

"One terrorist has been killed in the ongoing encounter in the forest area of Kupwara district," an Army official said. An AK-47 rifle was recovered from the slain terrorist.

Security forces had launched an operation in the Kandi forest area of Kupwara yesterday after a patrol of Army soldiers came under fire from terrorists, the official said.

He said a gunbattle broke out between the two sides yesterday in which one army commando, Sepoy Mukul Meena of 3 PARA regiment was killed.
The operation was in progress when last reports came in, he added.

Meanwhile, the government on Thursday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the killing of a 20-year-old youth in army firing last evening at Trehgam area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

District Magistrate (DM) Kupwara, Khalid Jehangir said that an inquiry into the killing of the youth namely Khalid Gafar (20) son of Abdul Gafar Malik in firing by the army has been ordered.

Additional District Commissioner (ADM), Handwara has been appointed to conduct the inquiry into the killing, Jehangir said.

“The ADM has been asked to submit a detailed inquiry report within one month”.

The District Magistrate said that an FIR has already been registered against the army party involved in the killing.

Meanwhile, official sources said that police filed an FIR 46/ 2018 under section 148, 149, 323, 307, 336 RPC has been registered in police station Trehgam with regard to the incident.

They said that convoy of 8 Bihar and 160 TA- two different army units- were passing through Trehgam area yesterday in the evening when it came under heavy stone pelting from a mob, forcing it to open fire to disperse the mob.

“The soldiers of the nearby unit were already deployed and were patrolling the streets for the protection of the convoy”.

A police officer had said that investigations will reveal as to how and under what circumstances the incident took place.

Khalid Gafar, a shopkeeper by profession, was among the stone-pelters upon whom the army had opened fire at Trehgam in Kupwara last evening.