Sopore, Mar 13: Police on Sunday said that death toll in the Sopore encounter rose to two with search party recovering one more militant body.
The body of Waseem Ahmad Ganai alias Sheruni son of Abdul Ahad Ganai of Shiekh Sahib Mohalla, Chinkipora-Sopore, was recovered from the encounter site at Muslim Peer here in north Kashmir, 55 kilometres from Srinagar, this morning, a police official said.
He claimed the deceased militant was involved in killing of two sisters Arifa and Akthera, shot dead by the unidentified gunmen on January 31 this year. “Ganai was also involved in killing of paramilitary CRPF men in Janwar area last year,” the official added.
Pertinently, Police on Saturday had claimed that it killed the divisional commander of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Chota Kalimullah in a gunfight at the same place. However, searches continued till late Sunday afternoon. “Searches have been called off and the operation is over,” the police official added.
Meanwhile, locals accused forces of ransacking their houses during the 2-day operation. “I was shocked to see everything including gold and clothes, missing,” said a local.
 He said the clinic of Dr Ramzan Sofi was also destroyed during the gunfight. “Forces also detained a watchman Ashiq Hussain Khan,” he added.
 After the forces retrieved scores of people took to the roads and staged pro-freedom demonstrations. Protesters were demanding that the bodies of the slain militants be handed over to them for last rites.

GRENADE EXPLOSION
 Suspected militants hurled a grenade at a joint party of police and paramilitary CRPF men near Hathi Shah Sopore on Sunday morning, police said, adding the device exploded with a big bang without causing any damage.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST