Two civilian, counter-insurgent killed by militants in Kashmir

Two civilians and a notorious counter insurgent were killed by militants in Kashmir during last 24-hours.

Reports said militants killed Rashid Billa was inside his home in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district at around 10 pm on Sunday night. Police sources said that militants barged into Billa’s home and opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot. Billa was involved in the massacre of seven civilians at Sadrakoot in Bandipora on 5 October, 1996.

The J&K High Court had declared slain Billa as a pro-claimed offender after police failed to nab him for years.

In another incident, unidentified militants shot dead an advocate associated with opposition National Conference in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. Reports said three unidentified militants barged into the house of Advocate Imtiyaz Ahmad in Pinjora, Shopian, 70 kms from here, at around 9.30 pm and shot him dead. Ahmad was a public prosecutor during previous NC-Congress government.

Earlier, militants had shot dead a worker of ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in neighbouring Pulwama district on Saturday night. A police official said the militants entered into the house of Bashir Ahmad Dar and his cousin Altaf Ahmad Dar at Qasbaya, Pulwama, 35 kms from here, late Saturday night and asked the duo to accompany them.

“After abducting them the militants fired upon them, leaving the duo in pool of blood. They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared Bashir as brought dead while Altaf was referred to Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment,” he added.

While Bashir was a worker of ruling PDP his cousin Altaf, according to reports, used to run a medical shop in neighbouring Rajpora area. Sources said the duo had been warned by the militants in the past to disassociate themselves from mainstream politics. “One of the relatives of deceased Bashir is a senior police officer,” they revealed.

The Valley has been on the edge since April 9, when eight civilians were killed in clashes during by-polling to Srinagar Parliament constituency.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir police have issued an advisory to its personnel to avoid visiting their hometowns for the next few months, following incidents of attacks by militants on their residences and family members.

The advisory follows over a dozen incidents of attacks on families of police personnel in Kulgam and Shopian districts. The family members of police personnel deployed in anti-insurgency operations were threatened and asked to persuade the uniformed men to quit service.

After the first incident stae Police Chief Shesh Paul Vaid had warned ultras that 'they too have families.' "Militants should realise they too have families. Let them (militants) take this as a warning," Vaid told a national news channel in response to the ransacking of a DSP level police officer’s house by militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district last month and threats to his family members.

“This is between police and terrorists and families should not be brought into this conflict. If the police start doing this (threatening), what will happen to their (militant) families,” he said.