How an Indian Army Colonel and a dreaded militant commander fought pitched battles in South Kashmir before both died in an encounter on Tuesday.
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Jan 27: Hizbul Mujahideen's "District Commander" and the most wanted Kashmiri militant in Tral-Pulwama belt of South Kashmir, Abid Khan, who was the son of a serving Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of J&K Police, died along with his associate Sheerz Dar, even as the Commanding Officer of Rashtriya Rifles 42 Battalion Munindra Nath Rai and a constable of IRP 12th battalion, Sanjeevan Singh, also got killed in a fierce encounter between the militants and security forces at Handoora village in Tral on Tuesday.
Col. Rai, a resident of Varanasi who was the recipient of the prestigious YSM award on the Indian Republic Day on January 26, 2015, on account of his gallantry in scores of the successful counterinsurgency operations in Tral area in 2012-13, and constable Singh of Special Operations Group of J&K Police in Tral, got critically injured in the three-hour-long gunbattle. They were evacuated and airlifted to Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where they succumbed to injuries.
Official sources said that Abid Khan was involved in a large number of attacks on security forces and Police bedides civilian soft targets in Pulwama district in the last over two years. His father ASI Jalaluddin had been shifted from Pulwama to Baramulla last year after Abid Khan fatally attacked Police and security forces in Pulwama and Awantipora Police districts.
Enaged as Special Police Officer (SPO), Sheeraz had decamped with a Constable's service rifle from an SOG camp. One of Abid's cousins had also stabbed an SPO on duty and snatched away his AK-47 rifle at Pampore in 2012 but the Police chased and captured him at a distance without resistance. The gun was seized and he was booked in a criminal case. Abid Khan was believed to be among the four Hizbul Mujahideen militants who had captured and killed four soldiers of RR 42 Bn at Buchoo, Tral, days before then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the Valley, during a cordon-and-search operation on June 19, 2013. Before escaping, Abid and his associates had also filmed the event on a cellphone which later surfaced on YouTube and Facebook.
Col. Rai, who had carried out dozens operations in search of Abid Khan. He finally got his most wanted target but died in the same gunbattle. Officials said his name would be recommended for a bigger posthumous award later this year. They said that Col. Rai went for the daredevil action to the front and ran straight into Abid's house during the gunbattle to ensure that the militants did not escape. He died in a face-to-face gunfight with the two holed up militants.
Reports from Tral said that scores of the residents staged protest demonstrations, blocked roads and clashed with Police and CRPF before and after the funeral rites of the two militants were conducted on Tuesday evening.
Officials described that the death of Abid and Sheeraz as a major blow to the militant leadership in South Kashmir and a remarkable achievement for security forces, though it came at a substantial cost of the CO's life.
END
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Jan 27: Hizbul Mujahideen's "District Commander" and the most wanted Kashmiri militant in Tral-Pulwama belt of South Kashmir, Abid Khan, who was the son of a serving Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of J&K Police, died along with his associate Sheerz Dar, even as the Commanding Officer of Rashtriya Rifles 42 Battalion Munindra Nath Rai and a constable of IRP 12th battalion, Sanjeevan Singh, also got killed in a fierce encounter between the militants and security forces at Handoora village in Tral on Tuesday.
Col. Rai, a resident of Varanasi who was the recipient of the prestigious YSM award on the Indian Republic Day on January 26, 2015, on account of his gallantry in scores of the successful counterinsurgency operations in Tral area in 2012-13, and constable Singh of Special Operations Group of J&K Police in Tral, got critically injured in the three-hour-long gunbattle. They were evacuated and airlifted to Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar where they succumbed to injuries.
Official sources said that Abid Khan was involved in a large number of attacks on security forces and Police bedides civilian soft targets in Pulwama district in the last over two years. His father ASI Jalaluddin had been shifted from Pulwama to Baramulla last year after Abid Khan fatally attacked Police and security forces in Pulwama and Awantipora Police districts.
Enaged as Special Police Officer (SPO), Sheeraz had decamped with a Constable's service rifle from an SOG camp. One of Abid's cousins had also stabbed an SPO on duty and snatched away his AK-47 rifle at Pampore in 2012 but the Police chased and captured him at a distance without resistance. The gun was seized and he was booked in a criminal case. Abid Khan was believed to be among the four Hizbul Mujahideen militants who had captured and killed four soldiers of RR 42 Bn at Buchoo, Tral, days before then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the Valley, during a cordon-and-search operation on June 19, 2013. Before escaping, Abid and his associates had also filmed the event on a cellphone which later surfaced on YouTube and Facebook.
Col. Rai, who had carried out dozens operations in search of Abid Khan. He finally got his most wanted target but died in the same gunbattle. Officials said his name would be recommended for a bigger posthumous award later this year. They said that Col. Rai went for the daredevil action to the front and ran straight into Abid's house during the gunbattle to ensure that the militants did not escape. He died in a face-to-face gunfight with the two holed up militants.
Reports from Tral said that scores of the residents staged protest demonstrations, blocked roads and clashed with Police and CRPF before and after the funeral rites of the two militants were conducted on Tuesday evening.
Officials described that the death of Abid and Sheeraz as a major blow to the militant leadership in South Kashmir and a remarkable achievement for security forces, though it came at a substantial cost of the CO's life.
END
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