Poonch: 3 Militants Gunned Down, One Policeman Dead; Rajnath Reviews Security

Jammu: Three militants and a policeman were killed and six others, including a police officer, were injured in twin encounters between security forces and four terrorists in Poonch town of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday.

The encounters between security forces and the militants, who were holed up in a house and another structure near the under-construction Mini Secretariat, erupted at around 7.30 AM and continued through the day.

One of the injured is Sub Inspector of Special Operation Group (SoG) Manzoor Hussain and another a civilian Tariq, police said, adding that the injured have been hospitalised.

The authorities used drones to track down the militants who had taken shelter inside a house where an elderly couple lived and another structure. The couple was safely evacuated.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Jammu Zone Danish Rana said body of one of the militants has been recovered and others are being recovered.

The cordon in the area will remain intact till tomorrow as operation is on," Rana added.

Earlier, state police chief Rajendera Kumar said, "Four militants are involved in the two encounters at two different locations."

"They (militants) are in a house, where there is a civilian couple. Forces are retrieving them. we have to evacuate the civilians first," he said.

Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the internal security situation in the country along with senior officials of the ministry and security agencies.

It's a normal security review meeting that the Home Minister has convened," a Home Ministry official told IANS.

He said that as the minister had been out of town for some time, he decided to review the situation on Sunday, adding that there was nothing special to it.

It's a routine security review meeting. He decided to take stock of the situation, hence the meeting," he said.

Meanwhile, the Valley remained shut for the 65th day with authorities deploying security personnel in Srinagar and other places to maintain law and order, even as the death toll reached 80.