Slain involved in killing of bank manager from Rajasthan: IGP

Anantnag: Two Lashkar-e-Toiba militants were killed in an overnight gunfight with government forces, here in Shopian district, even as a search operation continued in the adjoining Kulgam district for more than twelve hours, the police said on Wednesday.
The slain militants have been identified as Jan Mohammad Lone and Tufail Ganaie, both residents of Shopian district.
“Apart from other crimes, Lone was involved in the killing of Vijay Kumar, the bank manager from Rajasthan who was shot dead in Kulgam district recently,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said.
The bank manager was shot at and killed on June 2 inside the Ellaquai Dehati Bank branch in Arreh Mohanpora village in Kulgam district.
“Apart from arms and ammunition, some incriminating material has been seized from the site of the gunfight,” the IGP said.
The gunfight took place in Kanjuilar village of Shopian district. A senior police official from the area said that a cordon and search operation was launched, at about 1:00 AM Tuesday night, following inputs regarding the presence of militants in the area.
“Contact was soon established with the holed-up militants and they were asked to lay down their arms,” the official said, adding that the militants chose to fight and opened fire at the troops surrounding them.
The official said that the fire was retaliated and in the subsequent gunfight two militants of the LeT were killed. “The operation concluded early Wednesday morning,” the official said.
He said that the bodies of the slain have been retrieved and will be sent to north Kashmir for burial after completion of medico-legal formalities.
Meanwhile, in Yaripora area of Kulgam district, a search operation was still going on after an initial exchange of fire with militants on Tuesday evening.
“There was an exchange of fire initially but then the militants changed their position and no further contact could be established with them since,” a senior police official from the area said.
He said that a couple of gunshots could be heard this morning, but nothing after that. “We have intensified searches and are hopeful that contact will again be established with the militants, whom we believe are still hiding in the area,” the police official said.
The operation is going on in Mishpora area of Yaripora.
Anti-militancy operations have been intensified across Kashmir valley in recent weeks, leading to the killing of 13 militants in the first fortnight of June. The police have said that more than 100 militants have been killed this year.
Also, attacks on minorities, non-locals, policemen, and politically affiliated locals have been carried out frequently – leaving over 20 such people dead – by militants.
Police have been maintaining that the militants behind such attacks have mostly been neutralised.

Suhail A Shah