Cop-turned-militant among three Hizbul Mujahideen ultras killed in Kashmir

Three Hizbul Mujahideen militants, including a police deserter, who had fled with seven rifles in 2018, were killed in a brief encounter with security forces in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Monday.

A police official said the gun battle started after a joint team of Army's 55 Rashtriya Rifles and special operations group (SOG) of J&K police launched a cordoned-and-search-operation (CASO) in Wachi village of Shopian, 56 kms from here, during wee hours of Monday after 'specific input' about presence of militants in the area.

“The terrorists were asked to surrender but they opened fire towards security forces and in the retaliatory action three ultras were killed,” a police official said and added the slain militants were affiliated with Hizbul outfit.

J&K police chief Dilbagh Singh identified the slain militants as Waseem Wani, Adil Bashir Sheikh and Jehangir.

Addressing a press conference, here, he said Wani was active since 2017 and had 19 FIRs against him. "Sheikh, a special police officer (SPO), had deserted the force in September 2017 and decamped with seven weapons and a pistol from the residence of former MLA Aijaz Mir," he said,

Dilbagh Singh claimed that Hizbul was fast losing ground in south Kashmir as many of its top commanders have been killed and in the last few weeks. "Hizbul is about to disappear from south Kashmir turf. “Anti-militancy operations in south Kashmir districts will be intensified. The year 2020 has started on a good note as far as anti-militancy operations were concerned,” the police chief said.

On January 12, three more Hizbul militants were killed in a similar encounter with security forces in neighbouring Pulwama district. Earlier on January 7, a teenage militant, who had joined the militancy just a week before was killed in an encounter in Awantipora.

The twin districts of Shopian and Pulwama in south Kashmir emerged on the radar of security forces immediately after the killing of Hizbul poster boy Burhan Wani in July 2016. Prior to that, a Facebook photo that marked the arrival of new-age militancy in Kashmir was taken in Turkwangam village of Shopian in July 2015. Burhan posed with 12 associates, carrying assault rifles and with faces unmasked.

After the killing of Burhan, the twin districts remained out of bounds for security forces due to the relentless protests for nearly seven months, with militants seen moving around freely and posting their videos as well.

Such is the influence of militants in the two districts that less than 3% of voters exercised their franchise in last year's Lok Sabha polls. Pulwama and Shopian are part of the Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency.

The topography of Pulwama and Shopian mixed with people openly espousing the separatist cause and young boys proudly talking of their “heroes”, who died for a cause’, makes it an ideal ground for militants to make it as their base.

A top police official said the twin districts were on the radar of security agencies to ensure that top leadership of militants is wiped out. “During summers, dense apple orchards and nearby forests give militants an advantage as they often give a slip to security forces when CASOs are launched,” he said.

However, the officer said, as the security forces launched an offensive against militants since 2017, space is shrinking for them in the two districts. “Not only local recruitment has come down, but there has been a drastic decline in protests by civilians during gunfights and funerals of militants,” he said and added flow of local intelligence is also pouring all-time high.