Two militants and an Over Ground Worker (OGW) were killed in an encounter in Goripora area of Awantipora in South Kashmir’s Pulwama district this morning.
Inspector General of Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, told Excelsior that two militants and one militant associate were killed in a gunfight in Awantipora this morning. “However their identity is yet to be ascertained”, he said.

The operation in the area was launched by Police and Army’s 50 RR after inputs about presence of militants in the area.
As the joint team of security forces approached towards the spot where militants were hiding, they fired upon the troops triggering a gun battle.
This is the second encounter since last night when two militants were killed in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district after they abducted a railway policeman at Yaripora area of Kulgam.

Sources said that the two militants have been identified as Shahid Manzoor alias Rizwan Bhai son of Manzoor Ahmad of New Colony Awantipora. He had joined the Hizbul Mujahideen in March last year.

Another militant has been identified as Shafatul Islam and he also belonged to HM. Arms and ammunition were recovered form their possession. The OGW has been identified as Manzoor Ahmad Sofi of Goripora in Awantipora area of Pulwama district.

In the meantime, the Government has decided to conduct burial of killed militants at safer and isolated places to prevent spread of Coronavirus. “In this regard, families of the slain militants will be provided passes by concerned Deputy Commissioners to facilitate their presence in last rites in presence of Magistrates”, it said.
After COVID-19 outbreak Government has taken strong note of huge gatherings, funerals and burials of militants killed in Arwani, DH Pora and Sopore areas during lockdown period.

Besides security agencies, health authorities also took note of these incidents as there were genuine apprehensions of mass transmission of Coronavirus during such gatherings. They said that it has been learnt that few militants have also been infected by the virus.
They said in order to ensure health security of the people at large, the administration has decided to conduct burial of militants at safer and isolated places during which proper procedure of burials will be followed such as conduct of post mortem and lifting DNA samples of killed militants prior to their burial in accordance with religious customs.

The families who identify and claim the bodies of killed militants are being provided passes by concerned DCs in order to facilitate their participation in last rites in presence of Magistrates.

They said the same procedure was earlier followed at Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district where families participated in last rites of three killed militants.
An official said that allowing funerals at native places of killed militants would lead to the breakdown of the strict protocols of lockdown thereby endangering the health and wellbeing of the community at large. They said such examples of breach were witnessed during the burials of militants in Sopore, Arwani and DH Pora.