3 families from south Kashmir reach Kupwara to claim militants’ bodies

Of 5 army soldiers killed, 2 each from Himachal, U'khand, one from Rajasthan

3 families from south Kashmir reach Kupwara to claim militants’ bodies

Kupwara: Three families from south Kashmir, two from Shopian and one from Kulgam, reached district police lines Kupwara in north Kashmir to claim the bodies of three of the five militants killed in the Keran encounter.

The families said that the killed militants were their kin and they have a right to bury their bodies. Police told the families that they were yet to receive the bodies from the army. Police sources said that the families told Kupwara police that they were informed by unknown men on the past night that three of the killed militants were their kin.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army identified its five soldiers who were killed in the Keran encounter. The slain were identified as Subedar Sanjeev Kumar from Himachal Pradesh, Haveldar Davendra Singh from Utarakhand, Para trooper Bal Krishan from Himachal Pradesh, Para Trooper Amit Kumar from Utarakhand, and Chhatrapal Singh from Rajasthan.

All the bodies are lying at PCR Mortuary room for medico/legal formalities, officials said.

Last week, the army posted along the LoC in Keran village found a group of militants who were challenged and a brief encounter ensued in which the militants managed to escape after talking advantage of darkness and bad weather.

From that time, several units of army conducted a massive search operation and on Saturday late evening, army’s 8 Jat regiment and para troopers again challenged the militants in a grazing area (behak).

On Sunday the army said that five militants were killed while a soldier lost his life and several others were injured in the encounter. In the evening, the army said that four other army soldiers had succumbed and the toll had risen to five.

The search for a sixth militant is still going on in the area.

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