Mother of 5 children killed, 10 militants trapped in Handwara gunbattle

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Aug 22: A middle aged woman, who was mother of five children, got killed and her husband sustained injuries when militants and security forces locked horns in a major gunfight in Handwara forest area of north Kashmir. According to officials, a thick group of at least ten heavily armed militants has been trapped by armed forces though independent sources insist that the operation had failed and the holed up militants had managed to escape.

Close on the heels of a fierce encounter, that left 12 militants and a JCO dead, on the LoC in Gurez sector, another group of 10 militants has been trapped by Army in the thick forest cover of Handwara. Authoritative sources told Early Times that troops of Rashtriya Rifles 21 Bn and 06 Bn, alongwith SOG Handwara, laid siege to a vast forest area between Hafruda and Zachaldara, about 25 Km from Handwara on Sunday. According to a specific information available with Police and security forces, ten heavily armed militants were present in a Bahak in Padlu, not far away from Satkuji and other hamlets on the LoC in Nowgam sector.

Late last evening, forced zeroed in the group of militants and a fierce gunbattle commenced. None of the militants had been reportedly killed or arrested in the 24-hour-long operation. Sources said that the gunfight, troops targeted a Dhok with the suspicion that some of the militants were hiding in it. Civilian Abdul Rasheed Paswal and his middle aged wife, Saleema, were hit. Even as both of them were evacuated and rushed to hospital, Saleema died on way to SKIMS. Her husband was reportedly out of danger but still under treatment at Sub District Hospital of Handwara.

An official press release issued from headquarters of Kashmir Zone of the executive Police said : “As per the available reports, a heavily armed group of militants had visited a Bhak in Padlu area in the Upper reaches of Handwara during the intervening night of 20/21-08-2011, where 4-5 families are putting up in a dhok and had demanded food.  Militants had asked villagers to guide them towards Brinjal and Ghalali areas, which the former resisted and denied. Aghast by the reaction of villagers, militants asked to provide them food for the next following  night also”.

It added: “After having food in the intervening night i.e 21/22-08-2011, militants left the dhok. The group of militants was intercepted by Army. Militants ran away back towards the dhok, and started indiscriminate firing, which created chaos triggering an encounter. In the exchange of firing,two civilians, Saleema wife of Abdul Rashid Paswal aged 45 years and Abdul Rashid  Paswal son of Jamal din – Aged 35 years received bullet injuries. The former was referred to SKIMS-Soura Srinagar, where she succumbed while the latter is admitted in SDH Handwara and is out of danger. Dead body of  deceased civilian lady was this morning  handed over to her next of kins for last rites. Other civilians have been rescued from the area. The encounter was still going on when the last reports came in”.

Though authoritative sources maintained that the gunfight was still underway and all the ten militants of the group had got trapped, independent reports from Handwara insisted that all the militants had made good their escape under the advantage of thick forest cover and a dark night. Reports said that Army had also requisitioned helicopters but it was not clear where these were providing any combat support to the troops or had been deployed to evacuate the injured civilians and soldiers to hospital.

Detection of second major group of possibly fresh infiltrators within 24 hours of the Gurez encounter is being viewed here as part of a fresh strategy from militants and their sponsors across the LoC. Top ranking Police and Army officials, including J&K DGP Kuldeep Khoda, and GOC of Srinagar-based 15 Corps, Lt Gen Syed Atta Hasnain have said twice in last two days that infiltration attempts were likely to increase in the coming days.

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