SRINAGAR: Three senior Jammu and Kashmir police officers escaped attempts on their lives, while six Border Security Force (BSF) personnel, including a Deputy Commandant, and four militants were among the 15 per sons killed in the Kashmir valley last Wednesday evening.
Militants opened fire on the vehicles of Assistant Director General of Po lice A.K. Suri, and Inspector General of Police P.S. Gill, at Malik in Fatchkadal area in interior city, official sources said.
The sources said the security men escorting the two police officers re turned the fire, but the militants escaped. Both the police officers escaped unhurt in the attack, the sources said, adding that security forces launched a search operation in the area to flush ‘out militants responsible for the attack. The pro Pakistan Hizbul Mujahideen, while owning responsibility for the attack, claimed that a number of cops were killed in the shootout which lasted for nearly 50 minutes. An official spokesman said BSF personnel, on a specific information, cordoned off a locality at Sopore to nab militants and their sympathiers.
However, when the BSF men were about to storm a hideout to flush out the militants they were fired upon heavily with automatic weapons. The BSF personnel also returned the fire and in the encounter that ensued, a Deputy Commandant, a Sub Inspector and four other jawans of the BSF were killed. One militant was also killed in the encounter, the spokesman said adding that further details were awaited.
Meanwhile, the body of Jalil Ahmad Indrabi, a lawyer and human rights activist, was laid to rest at martyr’s graveyard, at Idgah in Srinagar admits pro freedom and anti-security forces slogans. The All Party Hurriyat Conference leaders were among over 3,000 mourners who were present at the time of the burial.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 3, 1996
