Pulwama encounter: Wreath laying ceremony organised for two CRPF martyrs

A wreath-laying ceremony was organised at the Recruit Training Centre at Humhama in Srinagar on Saturday for the two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel, Jaswant Singh and Ravindra Baban Dhanawade, who lost their lives in a terrorist encounter in Pulwama earlier in the day.

The ceremony ended with the jawans raising the tricolor-draped coffins of the two martyrs.

In the early hours of Saturday, terrorists had entered the police line of Pulwama district and taken shelter in the family quarter blocks. In a recent update, four policemen and two more CRPF jawans have lost their lives in the operation that is underway.

According to sources, one terrorist has been neutralized, while two more are reportedly holed up.

The authorities have suspended mobile internet services in the district as a precautionary measure.

GOC of the Army's strategic Chinar Corps responsible for Line of Control (LoC) J.S. Sandhu said on Saturday that the presence of terrorists in South Kashmir has "increased," particularly in the area of Shopian since last year.

He also said, "There have been number of local boys who have joined the terrorists," and added that they are hoping that in due course they "start realizing that it's not worth it.