Jammu and Kashmir Police on Monday released two brief videos on social media in which the ‘hiding militants’ were asked to surrender during the Lawaypora gunfight.
“On 29/12/20 evening after the cordon at #Hokersar, troops are repeatedly #appealing the trapped #(militants) to come out and #surrender with assurances that they will not be harmed,” police said in a tweet.
In the 27-second clip, a drone can be seen hovering outside around the house while the offer to surrender is being played out.
On 29/12/20 evening after the cordon at #Hokersar, troops are repeatedly #appealing the trapped #terrorists to come out and #surrender with assurances that they will not be harmed. @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/B625zd78yY
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) January 4, 2021
“You are given a chance to surrender. Leave weapons and come out. We assure you that you will not be harmed. Hands up and come out,” an army official could be heard asking the trapped ‘militants’.
Later, another 26-second video was released on the Twitter account of the police, dated 30 December 2020. “Do you want to surrender? In case you want to surrender, then remove your clothes and come out in the back ground,” an army official could be heard asking the youth.
At #Hokersar on 30/12/2020 in the #morning hours, troops are once again #appealing the trapped #terrorists to come out in the ground and #surrender before them. @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/Bz30kNbZfI
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) January 4, 2021
Three youth— 24-year-old Ajaz Maqbool Ganai from Putrigam Pulwama, 22-year-old Zubair Ahmad Lone from Turkawangam Shopian and Athar Muhstaq Wani from Bellow, Pulwama, were killed on December in the “encounter” at Lawaypora. Police have claimed that the trio was militants, a claim refuted by their families.
Last week, the police said that the operation was launched on the inputs of army and eventually fructified into a joint operation of the Army, CRPF and Police, a police spokesman had said. “After the cordon was laid, militants lobbed grenades from inside and fired upon the search party. As per the SOP, troops repeatedly appealed to the militants to surrender in the evening and again in the morning. However, instead of surrendering, they fired upon the troops and were eventually neutralized in a firefight,” the spokesman had added.