AMRITSAR: Four Babbar KhaIsa men, two policemen and two civilians were killed in a fierce encounter near Chamba village under Harike police station 60 km from here, the police said.

The encounter which took place on the fringe of a farmhouse near the Mand area in Tarn Taran lasted seven house. It was the first major joint operation carried out by the Punjab police, CRPF and the National Security Guards.

The Director General of Police KPS Gill supervised the operation. According to the Tam Taran SSP, operations, S.S. Sandhu who also took part in the encounter the killed militants belonged to the Hardev Singh Deba group of the Babbar Khalsa.

One general purpose machine gun, two AK 74assault rifles, 8 magazines and some grenades were recovered from the spot.

‘The security forces were able to reuse a govt employer held by the militants. One person was killed by the militants in Chamba village the previous day where they had taken shelter. The killed security personnel were a Punjab police ASI Dalip Singh and constable Charanjit Singh. A PAP constable Amarjit Singh was injured.

The SP said that around = 7 pm a police party led by SHO of Harike raided a farm house after a tip of that militants had entered a village with a hostage. As the party advanced towards the farmhouse the militants opened fire killing the ASI and the constable.

Four militants entrenched themselves as two escaped into the Mand area. While keeping the militants engaged, the police party flashed messages for reinforcements to nearby police stations.

Sandhu rushed to the spot with a big contingent and a NSG team was sent from Harike. After encircling the field the security forces opened heavy fire. The security men used machine guns and grenades. In the meantime the DGP Punjab Sri Pal Singh GIS Bhullar among others reached the spot. The police adopted a tactical move by sending two villagers to the militants for surrender. The police say the two were killed by the militants. Observers however say that the police itself killed the two men as they neared the entrenched militants.

The four militants died after all their ammunition was exhausted.

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