Militants mingle with crowd, get help from locals to escape encounters: Police Report

A police report has noted that the militants fire from the crowd on the government forces and are being helped out to escape from the encounter sites in Kashmir.

The report has cited a number of incidents in which the local people helped the militants to escape from the encounter sites. As per police records in a number of incidents the anti-militancy operations have been disrupted by the local people who come out in a large  number to surround the places where the militants remain holed in.

Citing a number of instances, it has been noted that even militants fired from the crowd to disrupt the operations. Citing an instance of June 17, the report has noted that as the encounter was going on in the Arwani area of Bijbehara, “a mob  started pelting stones with an intention to disturb the operation and give chance to holed up militants to escape. Some of the militants also fired from within the crowd indiscriminately on the security forces engaged in the encounter.’’ On June 17, despite the stone pelting incidents, three  LeT militants including its district commander, Junaid Matoo, were killed in an encounter with police and security forces in Arwani area of Bijbehara. Police had acted on a specific information and launched an operation.

The report cites another instance of June 22  saying that after the burial of militants, a  mob attacked police post Kakapora in retaliation of which security forces opened fire in which one youth Tawseef Ahmad was injured and later on he succumbed. 

Police had acted on a specific input about the presence of militants in Bank Mohalla Kakapora and three militants were killed in the encounter who were identified as Majid Hameed Mir son of Abdul Hameed, Shakir Ahmad Jugjoo son of Bashir Ahmad, residents of Kakapora and Irshad Ahmad Dar son of Mohammad Sultan Dar resident of Aghangipora Padgampora, Awantipora. 

A senior police official said that in the wake of mob approaching the encounter sites it is becoming difficult to carry out the anti-militancy operations in Kashmir. The problem is more severe in the South Kashmir areas of Anantang, Pulwama, Shopian and Kulgam, where the presence of militants was higher.

A police source however, said that besides the help by local people, militants are getting the trainings in the forest areas which also are their hideouts.

“But recently an operation was launched in Tral forest area in which a militant got killed. We are after the militants and have prepared their list,’’ said a senior security official.

 

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