One Pakistani national among two terrorists killed in Pulwama encounter: Police
Srinagar: One of the two terrorists killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district on Friday was a Pakistani and the duo belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) outfit, police said on Saturday.
Four terrorists and an "active associate" were killed Friday in two encounters with security forces in Shopian and Pulwama districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
One of the militants killed in the encounter at Midoora in Awantipora area of south Kashmir's Pulwama district has been identified as Yawar Ahmad Najar, a resident of Darganie Gund Tral while the other has been identified as Pakistani code named Umar, a police spokesman said.
He said both the ultras as per police records were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM and were wanted in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments in the area and many other civilian atrocities.
"As per the records available with police, they were involved in series of terror attacks in Tral and Awantipora area including killing of civilian at Reshipora Tral on 18th March this year, firing on security forces at Zaji Kurd Lalpora forests on 7th April this year, attack on security forces at Sofigund forest on 9th April, attack on civilian at Nowpora Awantipora on 29th March, IED explosion at Amlar Tral road during the intervening night of 2/3 March 2019. Several terror crime cases were registered against them, he said.
The spokesman said incriminating material including arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter and all such materials have been taken into case records for further investigation and to probe their complicity in other terror crimes.
Two Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants and their "active associate", who was missing since Thursday and "was part of the militant group, were also killed Friday in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district.
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Bengal: Murder of Suvendu aide sparks political row; BJP, TMC trade barbs
Kolkata (PTI): The murder of a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari triggered political confrontation in West Bengal on Thursday, with the saffron camp accusing the TMC of fostering "lawlessness" and the Mamata Banerjee-led party rejecting the charge.
In a shocking development within 48 hours of the assembly poll verdict, Chandranath Rath, Adhikari's executive assistant, was shot dead in a brazen attack at Madhyamgram on Wednesday night, escalating tension in the area.
According to preliminary information, motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted Rath's vehicle near Doltala in Madhyamgram around 10.30 pm, forced it to stop and opened fire at point-blank range before fleeing.
Senior BJP leaders on Thursday alleged that the killing reflected the "complete collapse" of law and order in the state under the rule of the TMC government, which was "thrown out of power" in the assembly polls.
"A person closely associated with the leader of the opposition was targeted in a planned manner. This shows how law and order have deteriorated under the Mamata Banerjee government, which the people of Bengal have thrown out of power," a BJP leader said.
Adhikari on Thursday described the gunning down of his close aide as a "cold-blooded murder" and alleged that the killers had carried out a recce before executing the attack in North 24 Parganas district.
The Trinamool Congress dismissed the allegations and accused the BJP of attempting to politicise the incident before the investigation had progressed.
"The TMC has nothing to do with this unfortunate incident. The police are investigating the case professionally. The BJP should refrain from making baseless accusations. We are the ones who demanded a CBI probe of the killing," a senior Trinamool leader said.
The Congress demanded a transparent probe and criticised both the BJP and the TMC for "turning every tragedy into a political battle".
"The focus should remain on arresting the killers and ensuring justice, not on political point-scoring," a state Congress leader said.
The CPI(M) also condemned the killing and expressed concern over the deteriorating political atmosphere in the state.
"Violence and fear have increasingly become part of Bengal's political culture under the TMC rule. The administration must act firmly and impartially. We condemn the killing and demand strict action against those involved in the crime," a senior CPI(M) leader said.
