Arrested ‘hybrid militant’ killed during gunfight: Police

Second such incident in just over a month

Anantnag: Police on Sunday said that a “hybrid militant” who was recently arrested and was in police custody was killed during a gunfight with militants. Police said he had been taken to identify a hideout in Bijbehara area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The slain has been identified as Shahid Ahmad Tantray, alias Furqan, son of Muhammad Maqbool Tantray, a resident of Shirpora area in Kulgam district of south Kashmir.
“He was arrested in connection to an attack on non-locals in the Arwini area of Bijbehara on November 12. One of the two injured non-locals had later succumbed to his injuries,” a police spokesperson said.
This is the second such killing in just over a month, here in south Kashmir. In October a “hybrid militant” Imran Bashir Ganaie was arrested for his alleged involvement in a grenade attack on non-locals. He was later killed in a similar fashion, while he was taken to identify a militant hideout, the police had said back then.
Political parties had demanded an investigation into the killing, even as former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti had said that dubious nomenclatures were being used to justify civilian killings.
“Using dubious nomenclature- hybrid militant & chance encounters to justify civilian killings has become the norm in Kashmir. Imran Ganai arrested by the police & then killed in their custody allegedly by another militant defies logic & deserves a thorough investigation,” Mehbooba Mufti had said.
Today’s killing has been a repeat of the Shopian incident, as Tantray was allegedly taken to identify a militant hideout in the Check Duddoo area of Bijbehara.
“A pistol, used in the commission of the said crime, stands recovered on his disclosure,” the police spokesperson said, “He had obtained it illegally,”
The spokesperson said that Tantray confessed to having information about a militant hideout in the Check Duddo area of Bijbehara and was taken to the spot for identification. “The party taking him to the spot came under heavy fire as they approached the spot, and Tantray was critically wounded in the fire. He was evacuated to SDH Bijbehara where he was declared brought dead,” the police spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, no other militant has been killed in today’s gunfight.

 

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