Srinagar- Security forces on Tuesday intensified search operations in a forested village of Udhampur district in Jammu and Kashmir, a day after a Special Operations Group constable was killed during a gunfight with terrorists, officials said.
The encounter took place on Monday evening in Soan village of the Majalta area after police launched a search operation based on specific intelligence inputs about the presence of terrorists. During the initial exchange of fire, Constable Amjad Ali Khan of the 22nd Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police sustained critical injuries and later succumbed.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu Zone, Bhim Sen Tuti said the terrorists managed to flee towards a dense forest area after the gunfight. “There are three terrorists believed to be holed up in the forest. The operation is underway,” he told reporters in Udhampur.
Officials said one terrorist was believed to have been injured during the encounter, while two policemen sustained minor bullet wounds. The search operation was suspended overnight due to darkness and difficult terrain, and was resumed early Tuesday with additional reinforcements.
A joint team of the police Special Operations Group, the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force has further tightened the cordon in the area. Sniffer dogs and additional surveillance measures have been deployed to track the terrorists and block possible escape routes, officials said.
Police sources said the operation was launched following information about the movement of three terrorists, believed to be affiliated with the Pakistan based Jaish e Mohammad outfit. The Majalta and Basantgarh belt is considered a traditional infiltration route used by militants moving from the International Border in Kathua towards the interior districts of Jammu and onward to the Kashmir Valley.
Constable Amjad Ali Hailed
A wreath-laying ceremony was held in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur on Tuesday to pay tributes to a Special Operations Group (SoG) cop who died fighting terrorists in an operation in a remote forest area of the district.
The operation is still underway as security forces continue to look for terrorists in the area, a police officer said.
Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat led the solemn ceremony held at the District Police Lines in Udhampur, to honour Constable Amjad Ali Khan of the 22nd Battalion of the Indian Reserve Police (IRP).
Wreaths were laid by DGP Nalin Prabhat, IGP (Jammu Zone) Bhim Sen Tuti, Deputy Commissioner Saloni Rai, along with senior police officers, CRPF personnel and district administration officials, who paid floral tributes to the slain cop.
“A gun salute was given as a final farewell to the martyred cop, following which the mortal remains were sent to his hometown in the Mendhar border area of Poonch district for burial,” officials said.
Khan lost his life during an encounter, which is still ongoing, in the Soan area of Udhampur district.
Speaking to reporters after the wreath-laying ceremony, Tuti said that based on an input, an operation was launched in Soan village of Udhampur district on Monday evening.
“The information turned out to be true, and an encounter took place. We had a small Special Operations Group party. During the firefight, our cop, Amjad Ali Khan, suffered injuries. We tried to evacuate him, but due to excessive blood loss, we lost him. The operation is still on,” he said.
