KUPWARA; Two cops of Jammu and Kashmir Police, an Army officer, and two suspected foreign insurgents were killed, while four cops were injured in an overnight gunbattle in Kupwara district of north Kashmir.

Picture of 2 Insurgents killed in Kupwara Encounter

The slain army officer has been identified as Naib Subedar Kankanwadi of 19 Maratha Light Infantry while as the dead cops were identified as Assistant Sub Inspector Riyaz Ahmed of Special Operations Group of the Handwara District Police and the identity of the second slain cop is yet to be confirmed.

The encounter broke out at village Zunrishi in Kralpora area, last evening when a joint party of police and Army launched a search operation, a senior police officer told.

He said the house where the insurgents had taken shelter was destroyed in the overnight gunbattle that ended this afternoon.

Bodies of both the insurgents and two policemen, who were part of the search party which stormed, were recovered from the debris of the building this afternoon, the officer said.

He said an army trooper and four policemen were also injured in the encounter. hey were evacuated and rushed to 168 Military Hospital at Drugmulla. The condition of the two policeman including an ASI is stated to be 'critical'.

The officer said the identity and group affiliation of the slain insurgents could not be ascertained immediately but they are believed to be foreigners.

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SRINAGAR; A delegation of Hurriyat Conference Jammu Kashmir comprising of Shabir Ahmad Dar, Muhammad Yusuf Naqash, Abdul Rashid Dooru, Rouf Kashmiri, Sajad Ahmad and other activists today visited various areas of south Kashmir including Bijbehara, Verinag, Arwani, Kapran, Dooru and Pampore to urge people not to participate in parliamentary polls.

HCJK Leader distributing pamplets in South Kashmir

The leaders in their election boycott campaign said that freedom movement is written with sacrifices and there will be no compromise with this regard. They also said that it is our collective responsibility to safeguard the freedom movement and to refrain from any such activity that hampers the pious resistance movement.They said that by boycotting elections we want to send a clear message to world that freedom is our birth right which no one can usurp from us through force or military might. “By boycotting the elections under constitution we want to fulfill some of the responsibilities of our martyrs. This election boycott campaign is part of the martyrs’ mission,” they said.

The leaders and activists also distributed election boycott posters among masses.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson while expressing serious resentment over the alleged state terrorism in the length and breadth of the state said that police has been unnecessarily and immorally harassing the family of Abdul Hamid of Hajin, Boni Khan which is extremely condemnable. “They are harassing the whole family including their children and have sabotaged their property. It is nothing but state terrorism,” the spokesperson said and expressed solidarity with the family.

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ISLAMABAD; Unidentified gunmen today shot at and critically injured a policeman in Islamabad town of south Kashmir and decamped with his service rifle.

Injured cop referred to SKIMS hospital

Two gunmen shot at Constable Shabir Ahmad from a close range at Lal Chowk in Islamabad town, this morning, the police said.

They said the constable was hit by the bullet in the head. He was rushed to nearby district hospital from where he was referred to SKIMS Hospital here.

The gunmen also decamped with the AK rifle of the injured cop, the police added.

An alert has been sounded in the area to track down the assailants.

SRINAGAR; Dead body of an elderly unidentified man was recovered today from Sonar Koul Srinagar.

According to a police statement, "Srinagar Police recovered an unidentified semi decomposed male body from Sonar Kohl here this afternoon.

Some locals informed Police station Mahraj Gunj that a body is floating in Sonar Kohl near Zaldagar. A police party reached the spot and retrieved the body."

As per the reports, The body is in semi decomposed state having traces of beard on the face. The deceased is wearing jeans and blue sweater. The body has been kept in the mortuary of SMHS Srinagar for identification.

Police has initiated inquest proceedings under section 174 CrPC to ascertain the cause of death.

SRINAGAR; National Conference chief and union minister Farooq Abdullah filed his nomination papers for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat on Monday.

Mr Abdullah was accompanied by his son, NC president and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and other senior party leaders.

State Congress president, Saif-ud-Din Soz also accompanied the union minister to the office of the returning officer in the Tankipora area of summer capital Srinagar.

The ruling NC-Congress alliance is jointly fighting the election in the state.

Farooq Abdullah is re-contesting from the Srinagar constituency and is challenged by Peoples Democratic Party candidate Tariq Hameed Karra and Aam Aadmi Party candidate Raja Muzaffar Bhat.

Farooq Abdullah later addressed a rally at the mausoleum of his father and NC founder, Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, in the Nigeen area of the city.

By: Ayaan Maqsood

SHOPIAN; The residents have complained of growing waywardness in Tak mohalla area of Shopian town even as they accused the police of sleeping over the issue.

According to locals, it has become diffcult for female students to go school as dozens of roadside romeos have made this road out of use for students of Government Girls Higher Secondary School.

 “Amid police inaction against the miscreants indulging in daylight waywardness” in and around coaching centres which are situated in this locality, the residents have urged the authorities to “sensitise the police about the deteriorating situation before it gets out of hands.”

 A local shopkeeper Rouf Ahmad said “police is shutting eyes to the growing incidents of waywardness.”

Top coaching centres and schools of the town are in this locality. Locals have also blamed students of these coaching centres.

SRINAGAR; The Tosa Maidan Bachao Front (TMBF) Saturday staged a protest demonstration in Srinagar’s Press Enclave against the extension of 11200 hectares of government land in central Kashmir to Indian Army for artillery exercises.

The protestors termed the recent statement of National Conference leader, Nasir Aslam Wani, as an election gimmick and said the government must issue a statement and clear its position that the lease would not be extended to Army.

Protesters also threatened to intensify their agitation in case the state government extends the leasing out of forest land to Army. They said that the leasing out of land has already caused extensive damage to the ecology and environment in the area and has even caused damage to natural herbs in the forests division.

The protesters suggested that Tosa Maidan should be developed as a tourist destination rather than giving to Army. They said that thousands of Khag residents in central Kashmir would stage a protest in Shunglipora hamlet on April 8 as all but 48 people of this village have died in Army shelling and firing so far.