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Killer militants spotted in Himachal Pradesh

A group of militants who killed 35 labourers at Kalaban and Shatrundi hamlets in Chamba district on Monday, were reported to have been spotted today by villagers in Pangi valley in the district, police said.

The militants, some of them sporting beards, were seen proceeding towards Chalkot jungle in the valley, apparently preparing to cross over to the Kishtwar area of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The Jammu and Kashmir police had been informed about the militants' movements in the Pangi valley. It has stepped up deployment of forces in Kishtwar area.

Meanwhile, a central team comprising Special Secretary (Home) M B Kaushal, Central Reserve Police Force Director General M N Sabharwal and CRPF Inspector General A S Gill, accompanied by former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Shanta Kumar, MP, arrived at Chamba today to take stock of the situation.

The team held a high-level meeting with Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, state Director-General of Police B S Thakur and other officers.

The chief minister, who visited the site of the massacre yesterday, apprised the team of the situation in the wake of the killings and sought more paramilitary forces.

He told the team that because of pressure mounted by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, the militants there were on the lookout for hideouts and soft targets and therefore sneaked into Himachal Pradesh.

Dhumal, who flew to New Delhi from Chamba today, also wanted an aerial survey of the area to be conducted once a week to ascertain the situation and check the movement of militants.

The chief minister announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 50,000 each to the families of those killed and Rs 10,000 to the injured.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Security forces rush in to nab HP killers

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