4 IS militants among 6 killed in J&K gunfight
Srinagar, June 22 : In the first gunfight with security forces after Jammu and Kashmir was put under Governor's rule, four militants belonging to the Islamic State terror group were killed on Friday in Anantnag district, Director General of Police (DGP) S.P. Vaid said.
This is the first official confirmation of any IS militant being killed in Kashmir.
In a significant development, the police chief tweeted: "The slain terrorists were reportedly affiliated to Islamic State Jammu and Kashmir (ISJK)."
On its website in 2017 the Islamic State had said that its Indian affiliate, Ansar Gazwatul Hind was being headed by Zakir Musa, a Kashmiri militant commander.
A civilian and a policeman were also killed in Friday's gun battle that erupted in Srigufwara area early in the day after information about the four militants holed up in a house in Khiram village was received by the security forces.
With days left for the highly awaited Amarnath Yatra the security forces laid a cordon around the village following specific information about the presence of the militants.
"As the cordon was tightened, the militants fired, triggering the encounter," a police officer said.
Vaid said: "The bodies of the slain terrorists can be seen inside the house where they were hiding. We are retrieving the bodies."
The house owners also came in the line of fire. While the husband Muhammad Yusuf was killed, his wife Hafeeza sustained a gunshot injury. She was shifted to hospital for treatment, police said.
Of the four militants killed, one has been identified as Majeed Manzoor from Talangam village in Pulwama district while another was from the HMT area in Srinagar. The other two are yet to be identified.
A member of the special operations group (SOG) of the state police was also killed during the operation, while three other security personnel were injured, the police said.
Earlier dozens of youth had started pelting stones at the security forces some distance from the encounter site as the gun battle progressed.
Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in the district to check the spread of any kind of rumours.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
BJP accuses Rahul of making false claim about rise in poverty, files complaint with EC
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Monday alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is making a false claim about the rise in poverty in the country and urged the Election Commission to take “strict action” against him.
Lodging a complaint with the poll panel, the BJP also accused Gandhi of continuing to create a North-South divide in the country on the basis of language and region to vitiate the poll atmosphere.
A BJP delegation comprising its national general secretary Tarun Chugh and party's national media department in-charge Anil Baluni approached the EC, accusing Gandhi of running a false propaganda against the BJP amid the Lok Sabha elections.
“Rahul Gandhi is running a false campaign that 20 crore more people have become poor in the country while he doesn't have any evidence to back his claim,” Chugh told reporters after the BJP delegation lodged a complaint against the Congress leader with the EC.
He said that the Niti Aayog in its report has said that nearly 25 crore people have come out of the below poverty line during 10 years of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in the country.
“The Election Commission assured us of taking strict action (against Gandhi) in this connection,” he added.
The BJP leader also alleged that the Congress has hatched a “disgusting conspiracy” to create a divide between North and South on the basis of language and region.
“We have lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against Rahul Gandhi in this connection. We told EC that he is a serial and habitual offender of spreading lies, hatching conspiracy and creating confusion. While the country is progressing, Rahul Gandhi is talking about dividing the country on the lines of language and region,” he said.
Chugh asserted that the BJP respects all the languages and it is proud of Tamil language.
“In our (Lok Sabha poll) manifesto, we have reiterated our commitment towards the promotion of Tamil language. But Rahul Gandhi’s actions are disgusting and they have potential to put the country’s internal security in danger,” he told reporters.
“We filed a written complaint with the Election Commission in this connection and also gave links of his speeches, demanding strict action against him,” he added.
