SRINAGAR: A leader of the J&K Apni Party was shot dead by terrorists in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, while a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) of the Indian Army and a terrorist were killed in the gunfight in the border district of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. A police official said terrorists fired at J&K Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Lone outside his residence at Devsar in Kulgam district in the evening.
Lone received multiple bullet injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. After the attack, a joint party of the local police, CRPF and army men launched a search operation. It is the second killing of a political worker in Kulgam in three days. Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari said such attacks are intended to stop the current ongoing peace process in J&K.
Meanwhile, a joint contingent of police, CRPF and army launched a search operation in Thanamandi area in the border district of Rajouri after receiving inputs about the presence of terrorists in the area. An army official said, during the search operation, terrorists fired on the troops, leading to an encounter.
In the gunfight, a JCO Subedar Ram Singh (46) and a terrorist were killed and another army man was injured. ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh said search operation in the area is going on. It is the second encounter between terrorists and security forces in Thanamandi area of Rajouri this month. On August 6, two LeT terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Thanamandi area.