Anantnag/Sopore: A highly qualified local Hizb militant from South Kashmir was killed in an encounter with government forces in South Kashmir on Wednesday while two of his associates managed to flee from the spot of incident.
The gun fight between militants and government forces including Indian Army, Central Reserve Police Force personnel and Special Operation Group started in an apple orchard at Bewoora Marhama village of South Kashmirs Anantnag district. We had received information that a group of militants will pass through an apple orchard. As we laid the ambush, militant appeared there and shortly a gunfight started. A militant was killed on spot while two others managed to escape. The search for them is going on, a police official told news agency CNS.
The deceased has been identified a 24 year old B.Tech student Basit Ahmed Dar alias Sameer son of Ghulam Rasool Dar a resident of Marhama Bijbehara.
Basit, the son of a Bank Manager according to family sources had gone missing two months ago and had joined militant ranks. He was the alumni of Islamic University of Science and Technology Awantipora.
Massive protests erupted after the killing of the militant in the area while government forces conducted door to door search operations and checked the identity cards of the people.
Eyewitnesses said that people took to streets amid the heavy presence of Army and Para Military troopers and clashes erupted in Bijbehara, Kanelwan, Bewoora and Srigufwara areas of the district after the news of death of Basit Rasool spread in the area.
Forces used tear-smoke shells and pellets to quell the protests. At least four persons from Sri Gupwara were injured during the clashes.
Witnesses said that a large number of people participated in the last rites of the slain militant. He was buried in local graveyard at Marhama amid pro-freedom slogans. Senior Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Geelani addressed mourners on phone and paid rich tributes to the departed soul.
Meanwhile, authorities suspended mobile phone services in several areas of Sopore as an encounter raged on in Bomai area of the Baramulla district in north Kashmir. A senior police officer said that the telephony services were temporarily suspended to stop rumours about the encounter. Earlier, Army and police cordoned off the Bomai area after inputs about the presence of militants.
Eyewitnesses said that government forces blasted the house in which a non-local militant whom police identified as Abu Bakar from Pakistan was killed. A police official said that an Army man also suffered injuries during the encounter. The killing of the militant sparked violent protest while the people took to roads and raised massive pro-freedom slogans.
Geelani, Mirwaiz pay tributes to Basit Rasool
Paying rich tributes to the Basit Rasool killed Wednesday at Bijbihara, chairman Hurriyat Conference (G), Syed Ali Geelani said that our highly qualified youth who prefer to join the freedom struggle instead of their luxurious and comfortable life, is a slap on those who weigh these unparallel sacrifices in terms of roads, buildings, bridges and other developmental assets.
According to a statement issued to KNS, addressing large gathering participating in the funeral procession of the slain martyr, Geelani said that huge human sacrifices put a great onus on us as a nation, to safeguard them and not to trade them for petty and personal gains. He said that main culprits of our decades old miseries are the blood thirsty pro-Indian stooges who are all set to befool the innocents once again in the deceitful and deceptive slogan of peace and development. But last five months have torn and snatched every fabric of humanity and have exposed their beastly faces.
Hurriyat Conference (M) Chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq also paid glowing tributes to Basit Rasool Dar. Basit had a great career ahead of him, was like most conscientious and educated youth of Kashmir who have been pushed to the wall by Indian oppression are no longer ready to accept that oppression and subjugation and instead are ready to fight the yoke of subjugation in order to free their motherland, Mirwaiz wrote to KNS.
He also paid tributes to Abu Bakar who was killed at Sopore on Wednesday.
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