Army trooper killed in encounter with militants near LoC

An army man was killed in an ongoing encounter with militants near Line of Control in Kupwara sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Mukhtar Ahmad/Rediff.com reports from Srinagar.

An army official said army men deployed along LoC in Kupwara sector intercepted a group of militants attempting to infiltrate from the sector early this morning.

He said militants fired on the army men after being detected. “The fire was returned by the soldiers, triggering an encounter”.

The official said in the ensuing encounter, a soldier identified as Sepoy Ramesh Chand Yadav sustained critical bullet injuries. “The injured soldier was evacuated to army hospital in Srinagar, where he succumbed to injuries”.

He said the operation along the LoC is going on. “The intermittent gunfight is going on”.

The official said army men deployed along LoC are already on high alert as there are apprehensions that the militants may attempt to infiltrate into the State as snow in the upper reaches has started to melt.

Earlier, in the day, three policemen and civilian were injured when militants lobbed a grenade towards a police patrol party at a market at Chadoora in central Kashmir’s Budgam district.

According to police officer, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on road, injuring three police and a passerby.

The injured were hospitalised.

After the blast, police and paramilitary personnel launched combing operation in the area to arrest the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were reported.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the grenade attack.

IMAGE: Sepoy Ramesh Chand Yadav sustained critical injuries in the attack.