2 Jaish militants gunned down in Shopian, were involved in killing of many civilians, cops: Police
Srinagar: Two Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militants involved in the killing of a number of civilians and police personnel were on Saturday gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.
The slain militants have been identified as Abid Wagay, a resident of Rawalpora Shopian, and Shahjahan Mir, hailing of Amshepora Shopian, a police spokesman said.
Based on a credible input about the presence of militants in Gahand area of Shopian district of south Kashmir, a cordon and search operation was launched by security forces there this morning, the spokesman said.
He said during the searches, the militants fired upon the security personnel who retaliated. Two militants were killed in the ensuing encounter.
The bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter and incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were seized.
According to police records, both of the militants were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit JeM, he said
They were wanted for their complicity in a series of terror crimes including attack on security establishments and civilian atrocities, he said.
They were involved in the abduction and subsequent killings of civilians Firdous Ahmad of Batgund and Nissar Ahmad of Kapran and policeman Balwant Singh of Batgund last year, the spokesman said.
"They were also involved in the killing of Khusboo Jan at Viel Shopian earlier this year. Moreover, both were also involved in the killing of a civilian Tanveer Ahmad of Bemnipora at Kachdoora in Shopian.
"They were also involved in arson and setting ablaze panchayat ghars at Kanjiullar and Ramnagar, he added.
The spokesman said Mir was also involved in snatching of weapons and killing of four police personnel at Arhama Shopian last year.
He (Mir) was also involved in attack on police station Shopian in which one cop Saqib Mohi-ud-Din had attained martyrdom and his rifle was snatched.
"He was involved in the abduction and killing of a young boy Huzaif Ashraf Kuttay resident of Manzgam D H Pora, he said.
Several cases were registered against both of them for planning and executing terror attacks on security establishments and killing of civilians in the area, the spokesman said.
"With the efforts of police and other security forces, it was a clean operation and no collateral damage happened during the encounter," the spokesman said.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
