Villagers denied credit for overpowering terrorist: Omar

Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the credit for catching a Pakistani terrorist involved in the highway attack on BSF troopers should go to Chirdi villagers.

"Very brave of the unarmed civilians to wrestle and disarm an armed terrorist. They should be suitably rewarded for this bravery," Omar said on his widely followed Twitter handle.

Two militants, reportedly from Pakistan, ambushed a Border Security Force convoy on the Jammu-Srinagar highway in Udhampur district, killing two troopers and injuring 11 others. This happened around 7.30 a.m. at Narsu Nallah, 65 km from Jammu.

One militant was shot dead in the encounter while the other escaped towards the village.

Police claimed that they arrested the lone militant who had entered a house in Chirdi village of Udhampur district after the deadly attack on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The former chief minister regretted that the brave villagers were denied the credit they deserved after police claims on the arrest of the militant.

"Very unfortunate that the credit is not going where it is due -- to those three unarmed villagers who captured him," Omar said in another comment.

Speaking to media persons, the villagers held hostage by the lone militant said they wrestled with him inside their home and finally overpowered him and snatched his weapon.

"After we disarmed him, the militant even begged us to let him go," one of the villagers told reporters.