Four civilians, Two soldiers among Ten killed in Kashmir gunfights

By Fayaz Wani

Update to: Two Civilians, Photo-Journalist Among Seven Killed in Kashmir Gunfights

Srinagar, May 11: Four civilians including a photo-journalist of a local English newspaper and two soldiers are among 10 persons killed in two separate gunfights in Kashmir.

In the first gunfight, police said that some heavily armed militants infiltrated into this side of Kashmir in Samba sector and barged into the house of a pro-Indian leader at Kehli Mandi village, about 220 kms from Srinagar. Police said that the militants shot dead the pro-Indian leader identified as Hoshiyar Singh and his wife Sheshi Balla. Their daughter Bindu and Singh's mother-in-law were injured in the shoot-out and were hospitalised.

Police said the army immediately launched an operation and sealed the house where the militants were holed-up. They said the militants killed a woman identified as Madhu and threw her body out of the house. After the Army zeroed-in on the house, the militants were asked to surrender and lay down their weapons. They, turned down the offer and opened fire on the soldiers. The fire was returned and the fierce exchange between the militants and the Indian army personnel continued this evening.

A photo-journalist of a local English daily, Excelsior, identified as Ashok Sodhi, who was covering the incident was hit by a bullet and was taken to hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. It was not immediately known whether the bullet that killed the photo-journalist came from the militants or the army.

Two army soldiers were killed and seven others including an army officer were injured and were taken to hospital, where doctors are attending to them. "As the militants were giving tough resistance to the soldiers, the Indian army personnel fired numerous mortar shells towards the house. During the mortar shelling and exchange of fire, the house was destroyed and the bodies of two militants were recovered", police sources said.

They said that a large quantity of arms and ammunition were recovered from the militants, whose identity was being ascertained.

Meanwhile, a top North Kashmir police officer said that police and Indian army personnel killed two militants during a fierce gunfight in the forest area of Garbar, Top of Dardsun Kralapora, some 80 kms from Srinagar. "The encounter is going on", said the police officer, Vijay Kumar.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.

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