KO File Photo: Abid Bhat
Srinagar- A Lashkar-e-Taiba “hybrid terrorist”, who was arrested following the death of two non-Kashmiri labourers in a grenade blast in Shopian, has been killed in an operation in South Kashmir’s Shopian district, police said on Wednesday.
“Based on disclosure of arrested hybrid #terrorist & in continuous raids by Police & security forces, another contact has been established between terrorists & SFs at Nowgam #Shopian, in which hybrid terrorist namely Imran Bashir Ganaie killed by firing of another terrorist,” Kashmir Zone police said in a tweet on Wednesday.
“Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition has been recovered from the hideout/site of contact. Search is still going on. Further details shall follow.” Police tweeted.
It is note worthy that hybrid militants are not listed as militants but are radicalised enough to carry out a terror strike and then slip back into the routine life.
Notably, police on Tuesday claimed to have arrested Imran Bashir Ganaie of Harmain, who according to it, lobbed a grenade in which two labourers from UP were killed.
Meanwhile, police in a statement said that post terror incident at Hermain Shopian in the intervening night of 17/18 October, in which two outside labourers were killed by terrorists, investigation into the terror crime was immediately started.
During the course of investigation, it was revealed that the grenade at the accommodation of the labourers was thrown by one hybrid militant linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT identified as Imran Bashir Ganie of Hermain Shopian, police said.
The said hybrid militant alongwith his accomplice was promptly arrested within hours of the terror crime, police said, adding that various joint raids along with SFs were launched on the basis of disclosures made by the accused about militants and their hideouts. “In one of the raids on a hideout at Dongri Nala near Landoora bridge, where contact was established with the hiding militants but they managed to escape from the spot after initial fire,” the spokesman said.
Following his disclosure another raid was conducted in Nowgam orchards of Shopian where he had earlier met with other militants responsible in his recruitment in terror ranks besides providing a grenade to him, a joint anti-terrorist operation was launched in the said area in the midnight after the accused agreed to show the exact place of hideout in the orchards, the police spokesperson said.
During the search operation, the hiding militant fired upon the joint search party, in which the arrested hybrid militant who was accompanying and leading the search party for identifying the place got injured. He was shifted to hospital where he was declared brought dead, police added further.
Taking advantage of the darkness, the militant managed to escape from the spot. Incriminating materials, arms & ammunition has been recovered from the spot, police said, adding that all the recovered materials have been taken into case records for further investigation
Meanwhile PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has demanded a probe into the killing of an arrested militant during an operation in Shopian. The former chief minister said the killing of Kashmiri Pandits and labourers was condemnable but the death of an accused by militants while he was in police custody has given rise to allegations that it was part of the “catch and kill” policy.
“This has been earlier used in Punjab …. it looks like there will be attempts to disturb the peace here as the elections in Gujarat and Himachal draw closer so that BJP can get the maximum benefit from the Hindu-Muslim polarisation,” she alleged.
Taking to Twitter, Mehbooba Mufti questioned the police claim that terrorists managed to kill Ganai while he was in custody, saying it “defies logic and deserves a thorough investigation”.
“If militants can kill someone in the custody of police with such ease, it goes on to show what could be the fate of ordinary people,” Mehbooba told reporters after a meeting at her party office here.
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