Author: PTI
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 10, 2004
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-729734,curpg-1.cms
The stand off involving some militants
holed up inside a mosque in Anantnag district of south Kashmir further
deepened on Thursday when the ultras shifted to a nearby shrine and continued
firing on the troops surrounding them.
One militant was killed in a shootout
this morning, when Ultras came out of the mosque amid heavy firing and
sneaked into the shrine of Syed Najab-ud-din Bukhari at village Wohgund
in Kulgam, 75 km from here, official sources said.
With this, the number of militants
killed so far during the operation has risen to two.
It is suspected that two more militants
were hiding inside the shrine as the firing was coming from two different
directions, sources said.
Earlier reports suggested the presence
of only two militants inside the mosque.
Heavy firing was going on when last
reports last came in and the mosque also suffered some damages during the
exchange of fire, sources said, adding efforts are on to neutralize the
militants hiding in the shrine.
As reports about the damage to
the mosque spread, a group of villagers took to streets in nearby Srandoo
village and started raising slogans against security forces, they said.
However, police immediately swung
into action and tried to disperse the demonstrators who turned violent
and resorted to stone-pelting. Four persons, including two policemen, suffered
minor injuries during the clashes, they added.
The crisis broke out around 1.30
pm on Wednesday when militants took refuge inside the mosque after exchange
of fire with a search party of border security force which left an unidentified
militant and a jawan dead.
The firing between the two sides
stopped last evening and services of village elders were sought to persuade
militants to surrender.
However, the Ultras refused to
give up and instead opened fire on the troops in the wee hours on Thursday
forcing the retaliatory fire, sources said.
Senior police and BSF officers
rushed to the scene early on Thursday morning to take stock of the situation
and supervise the operation keeping in view the sanctity of the mosque
and the sentiments of the people.
