Three militants killed in encounters in J-K's Shopian, Bandipora
Srinagar: Three militants were killed in separate encounters with security forces on Friday in Shopian and Bandipora districts of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the number of ultras killed over the past 24 hours to five, officials said.
Two militants were killed in an overnight gunbattle in Hajin area of Bandipora district, an army official said.
The operation against the militants was started on Thursday but the security forces had to proceed with caution as two civilians had been taken hostage by the ultras, police said.
While one civilian was rescued Thursday evening, the other hostage -- reportedly a minor -- might have been killed during the operation, a police official said on condition of anonymity.
A police spokesman said a detailed statement on the operation will be issued very soon but did not elaborate about the fate of the civilian hostage.
A militant was killed on Friday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district.
The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Imamsahib area of Shopian in south Kashmir following information about presence of militants there, the army official said.
He said the militants opened fired on the security forces, who retaliated, triggering a gun battle.
One militant has been killed so far in the ongoing operation, the official said, adding that the identity and group affiliation of the slain ultra was being ascertained.
Another gun battle broke out between militants and security forces in Sopore area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district, a police official said.
He said no casualties have been reported so far in the operation that is going on in Warpora area of Sopore.
Two Jaish-e-Mohammad militants were killed in an encounter with security forces at Kalantara in Baramulla district on Thursday while three security force personnel, including an officer, suffered injuries during the operation.
A police spokesman said one of the slain militants was Amir Rasool, a local from Sopore, while the other was a Pakistani national.
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Child rape-murder: Hundreds protest on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune; traffic hit
Pune (PTI): Hundreds of people blocked the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway in Pune to protest the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl, leading to traffic disruption on the busy route for about four hours.
The girl's family members and other demonstrators placed the body on the road in the Navale Bridge area on Saturday evening and demanded stringent punishment for the 65-year-old man arrested in the case.
Several videos surfaced showing a huge traffic jam on the highway.
Later, the victim's last rites were performed at the Vaikunt crematorium here shortly after midnight amid tight police security.
The accused man, who works as a labourer and has a criminal record, allegedly lured the girl with the promise of food on Friday in the Bhor tehsil of Pune district. He then took her to a cattle enclosure where he allegedly sexually assaulted her and later killed her by hitting her with a stone, according to the police.
He was arrested based on CCTV footage from a private residence, which captured him with the child.
A case was registered against him under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he has been remanded in police custody till May 7.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar on Saturday met the family of the victim, assuring them of strict action against the accused and a fast-track trial.
Describing the incident as "shocking" and a "blot on humanity", Pawar said the government stands firmly with the victim's family and will ensure justice.
She also spoke to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a fast-track court trial so that the accused receives the harshest punishment.
Deputy CM Eknath Shinde directed Pune rural police to gather concrete evidence to build a watertight case and conduct the trial in a fast-track court.
Efforts should be made to ensure the accused gets the death penalty, a statement quoted Shinde as saying.
