Witnesses gathered at the spot in protest

Srinagar: Just before dusk on Wednesday, three militants were killed by police in Rambagh area of Srinagar.
“Police #neutralised 03 #militants in #Srinagar,” the JK Police said in a tweet.
In a video, a group of women claiming to have witnessed the killing said that a posse of police in uniform stopped a black Santro car and asked three persons sitting inside it to step out of the car, then killed them instantly.
The women surrounded the uniformed men, raising slogans and questioning the killings.
Women were also seen wailing, questioning the claims of police that the slain men were militants.
“Kashmiris have no idea about the events unfolding around them,” shouted one woman in Urdu. “We are helpless people. How long will this go on? These three might have left their homes for some work, and now their mothers will get their dead bodies.”
Several videos went viral on social media of the incident in which people were seen gathered around the spot which was smeared with blood, under the Rambagh flyover. Presence of police was also seen in the videos, standing mutely before the sloganeering crowd.
Commenting about eyewitness version on the Rambagh killings, National Confetence spokesperson tweeted, “This is a serious allegation at a time when we are yet to get a clarity from @JmuKmrPolice on Hyderpora “encounter”. We have another shootout in the city centre with all the ingredients of murkiness.”
Police said that it acted swiftly on their specific input regarding movement of militants in Rambagh area of Srinagar and a small team from Police signalled a suspected Santro vehicle to stop.
However, the militants started firing indiscriminately on the police party from inside the car while trying to flee from the spot under the cover of firing. The fire was however effectively retaliated leading to gunfight, it said.
Three militants were killed and identified as militant commander of TRF Mehran Yaseen Shalla resident of Jamalatta Srinagar, Manzoor Ahmad Mir resident of Babhar Pulwama and Arafat Ahmad Sheikh resident of Nikloora Pulwama.
As per police records, the killed terrorists were linked with LeT (TRF) and part of group involved in several attacks on security forces and civilian atrocities, police said.
“Incriminating materials including arms & ammunition has been recovered from their possession. Police has registered a case in this regard and investigation is in progress,” it added.

Reader correspondent