Militants behead two, trigger explosions in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, MARCH 24: Militants beheaded two persons and detonated two explosions wounding a civilian in Kashmir Valley since last night, an...

SRINAGAR, MARCH 24: Militants beheaded two persons and detonated two explosions wounding a civilian in Kashmir Valley since last night, an official spokesman said today.

Militants kidnapped two persons, Manzoor Ahmad Bhat and Mushtaq Ahmad, whom they suspected to be informers for the security forces, from Pahal-Daji and Karimpora areas of Kupwara district in north Kashmir last night and later beheaded them, the spokesman said.

The headless bodies of the victims were recovered from Pahal-Daji village today. Manzoor Ahmad Bhat was a former militant, the spokesman said.

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Meanwhile, a civilian was seriously wounded when a landmine went off between Sangrama and Puthkha in Baramulla district yesterday.

Militants also triggered a landmine at Charala in Thatri area of Doda district last evening. No damage was caused in the explosion, he said.

Security forces apprehended two suspected militants during search operations at Rangrez Mohalla in Safapora area of Baramulla district yesterday. They are being questioned.

They also smashed two militant hideouts, one each at Puthwan forest in Baramulla and Nagradnar forest in Kupwara last evening, he said.

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Although no one was arrested during the operation, a huge quantity of ration including 800 kgs of rice, 600 kgs of flour, 105 kgs of sugar and 150 kgs of dal, besides utensils and a stove were recovered during search of the hideouts, he said.

Meanwhile, life returned to normal in Jammu after three days as the curfew, imposed after violent protests against the Monday night killings of 35 Sikhs in Anantnag district, was lifted within the city municipal limits.

However, police and paramilitary troops continued to remain deployed in sensitive areas of the city and other towns to avert any untoward incident, Jammu zone Inspector General of Police R V Raju said.

Barring some stray incidents of shops being forcibly closed and stones being thrown on vehicles by mobs in Gandhi Nagar, Digiana and R S Pura areas, normalcy prevailed throughout Jammu division, he said.

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Police dispersed groups who were protesting the massacre at Chattisinghpura village, he added.

Police said curfew relaxation would continue till 6 pm.

Condemning the massacre, Akali Dal (Mann) president Simranjit Singh Mann, meanwhile, termed it as a "deep-rooted conspiracy" to create communal clashes and demanded a judicial probe into the killings.

Addressing a congregation in the gurudwara here before proceeding to the site of carnage, Mann said, "I will demand justice from the Central Government and the United Nations on the gruesome killing of the innocents."

"We do not commit atrocities on innocent people or any community. Whenever anyone has tried to commit any folly on us, we have given a befitting reply," he said and appealed to the community members to maintain peace and brotherhood and not be misled by vested interests.

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The All Jammu and Kashmir Unity Forum, meanwhile, demanded dismissal of the Farooq Abdullah government, alleging its "total failure" in protecting minorities and demanded a high-level inquiry into the massacre.