Srinagar: Two militants, including the killer of BJP leader Sheikh Waseem Bari, were neutralized in the encounter with security forces in north the Kashmir district of Bandipora on Sunday, a police spokesman said.
Bari along with his father Bashir Ahmad and brother Umer Bashir were shot dead by militants in July 2020.
He said troops of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Special Operation Group (SOG) of Jammu and Kashmir police and CRPF launched a joint operation at village Watinra in Bandipora following a tip off about the presence of militants there.
He said when the security forces were moving towards particular area in the village, militants hiding there opened fire on them. “The security forces retaliated ensuing in an encounter,” he said.
The spokesman said that two militants were killed in the exchange of fire and large cache of arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. “One of the slain militant was responsible for the attack and killing of Bari, his father and brother outside their shops/residence in Muslimabad area of Bandipora,” he added.
Ten policemen, who were tasked with protecting Bari, were suspended and later arrested in connection with the case. Police at that time had claimed that Pakistan-based militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was behind the attack. (UNI)