Nagrota encounter: Slain JeM terrorists planned terror attack on 26/11 anniversary; PM meets officials

'Thanks to their alertness, they have defeated a nefarious plot to target grassroots level democratic exercises in Jammu and Kashmir,' prime minister says

Reviewing the security scenario in poll-bound Jammu and Kashmir a day after four JeM terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the presence of a large cache of weapons and explosives with them indicates that they planned to wreak major havoc and destruction.

He held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval and other top officials from the national security department. The review meeting was also attended by foreign secretary and top intelligence officials as Modi took stock of the situation.

In his tweets following the meeting, Modi said, "Neutralising of 4 terrorists belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed and the presence of large cache of weapons and explosives with them indicates that their efforts to wreak major havoc and destruction have once again been thwarted."

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Hailing the security forces, he said they have once again displayed utmost bravery and professionalism.

"Thanks to their alertness, they have defeated a nefarious plot to target grassroots level democratic exercises in Jammu and Kashmir," the prime minister added.

In the review meeting, Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, foreign secretary and top intelligence officials were present as Modi took stock of the situation.

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Government sources said that the terrorists were planning "something big" on the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The terrorists killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Nagrota were planning something big on the anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the agency reported quoting sources.

The local police said the four terrorists were on their way to the Kashmir valley to disturb the District Development Council polls from November 28, which will be the first election in Jammu and Kashmir since the Centre abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5 last year.

The eight-phase DDC polls, which will conclude by December 22, will select candidates for 280 DDC seats besides filling vacancies in 12,000 Panchayat seats as well 230 vacant seats in urban bodies.

National Conference and PDP, which had boycotted the 2018 local bodies polls, are participating in the election this time under the banner of Gupkar Alliance.

The Union government also hopes the completion of such a democratic exercise will lead to emergence of a new leadership at the micro level in the valley, thereby blunting the edges of terrorism at the grassroots.

Addressing an election meeting in Balahama in Srinagar, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Friday said that after several decades, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have become equal partners in transparent democratic and development processes. He also claimed that the Modi government will rid Jammu and Kashmir of the "corruption of clan", a dig at the NC and PDP.

The four JeM terrorists were killed in the encounter with the police after a truck carrying newly infiltrated militants was intercepted in Nagrota. Two policemen were also injured in the gun battle. The same modus operandi of terrorist movement was recorded earlier also when three Pakistani JeM terrorists were killed in January this year. Even then the security forces had intercepted a Srinagar-bound truck.