Militants Kill 8 Villagers, Major In J-K Gunned Down In Kashmir

In a serious development eight villagers of a minority community belonging to three families and an Army major were killed by militants and four injured in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since Tuesday night, official sources said.

Militants also abducted two persons even as security forces arrested nine militants of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen and Khalistan Zindabad Force. Two others laid down their arms in the state during the period, an official spokesman said here yesterday.

Meanwhile, normal life was disrupted in parts of Kashmir valley yesterday in response to a bandh called by the All-Party Hurriyat Conference. It had given the call to protest against the alleged excesses of the security forces and killing of 11 people at Arin-Bandipora in Baramulla district on Thursday last.

Security forces were patrolling the sensitive areas to maintain law and order. Militants gunned down six civilians including a woman and injured three others at a village in a border district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.

According to an official spokesman heavily-armed militants barged into some residential houses at Sutri village in Rajouri district and sprayed bullets on the inmates. The injured were taken to hospital where their condition was stated to be serious.

A search has been launched to nab the militants, the spokesman said. Meanwhile, a defence ministry spokesman said a senior leader of the banned Hizbul Mujahideen was arrested from Babawaiyal area on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday.

The leader was instrumental in recruiting young boys in the militant outfit, he alleged.

A Pakistan-trained militant surrendered before Army authorities at Sabun village in Anantnag district, while a remote control device and 70 rounds of ammunition were recovered during searches at Wunnal in Badgam district yesterday, the spokesman added.

Along the international border, Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged intermittent fire at four places in Jammu on Tuesday night, a BSF spokesman said yesterday.

The spokesman said Pakistani Rangers started firing around dusk from their posts on the Indian side in RS Pura and Samba sectors. BSF troops retailated and the exchange of fire was continuing till yesterday morning when reports last came in, he said, adding that the Pakistani troops had been carrying on in the same pattern for the last few days.

He said the firing was a bid to push anti-national elements into India from these sectors by diverting the attention of Indian security agencies.

Meanwhile, an official spokesman strongly denied the report of migration from border areas as has been reported by a section of the media. The spokesman said there had been no migration from any village situated along the international border.

He said it was ridiculous to say that urban people were hesitant to marry off their daughters into families living in the border areas.

Sharing their concern over Pak shelling on the civilian population, the spokesman said the unprovoked firing by Pkistan had been brought to the notice of Union home minister Indrajit Gupta during his recent two-day tour of the border districts.

As and when necessary, the security forces have retaliated and silenced the Pakistani guns, he added.