Srinagar, Sep 3: A youth was killed and two others suffered injuries in government forces action at Gusoo village of south Kashmir’s Pulwama in what was part of massive search operations carried simultaneously in more than a dozen villages in the district on Monday.
During the clashes, Fayaz Ahmad Wani, son of Ahsan Wani of Chewa Kalan, was hit with a bullet in his head at Gusoo village.
The injured youth was immediately rushed to nearby hospital from where he was referred to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar, where doctors declared him brought dead.
Two more youths received pellet wounds and were hospitalized.
Police stopped the ambulance, which was taking the youth’s body back home, just outside the hospital and diverted it to the police control room here.
The body was handed over to the kin only after some time.
Thousands of people belonging to different Pulwama areas attended the funeral prayers of the slain youth.
Witnesses said that thousands of people gathered at Chewa Kalan village to attend the funeral prayers of young Fayaz.
They raised high pitched anti-India slogans after attending his funeral prayers.
As for the clashes, they were triggered in number of places in southern district after government forces launched massive anti-militancy operations in at least a dozen odd villages
The forces, as per reports, had sealed all the entry and exit points to the villages.
The operation was conducted by combined government forces including by army, police, and Central Reserve Police Force.
Reports said that house to house searches were conducted in the villages after input about the presence of militants.
Cordon and Search Operations (CASO) was launched in Rohmu, Below,Rajpora, Putrigam, Mitrigam,Frasipura,Gasu, Kucchepura, Chak,Mirgund, Murran, Zagigam, Tukarpura, Kamrazipura, Drubgam, Hanjan,. Ayangund and Shekharpora areas of district Pulwama.
This is the first major operation by the government forces after several close family members of the J&K Police personnel were abducted last week.
Most of the abducted people were taken from Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama districts.
This is not the first such operation in the south Kashmir area undertaken by the government forces.
“The practice, known as area domination operations, are usually undertaken to keep the militants on the run and prevent them from establishing a foothold in the region,” a police official said.
“There were no reports of any exchange of fire in any of the villages included in the search,” the official added.
