Srinagar: In a major encounter in Kashmir, security forces today killed three terrorists of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e Taiba (LeT), one of whom was involved in the high-voltage gunning down of Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat and woman artist Amreen Bhat three months back, police said.
The hours-long gunfight took place in Waterhail area of Budgam district in central Kashmir after a joint team of Army, CRPF and J&K Police laid a cordon in the early hours following specific information about presence of three terrorists there, the police said.
Soon after the gun battle started, Additional DGP Vijay Kumar said three terrorists of LeT’s shadow group ‘The Resistance Front’ were trapped.
He said the trapped terrorists included Lateef Rathar, who was involved in “several civilian killings”, including that of Rahul Bhat and Amreen Bhat.
Hours later, Kumar tweeted: #Terrorist Lateef Rather @ Abdullah, killer of Rahul Bhat & Amreen Bhat among the three killed #terrorists. He was involved in several #terror crime cases including several civilian #killings & #atrocities.”
Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit working in Kashmir Valley under PM’s Special Economic Package, was gunned down by terrorists inside his office at Chadoora in Budgam on May 12.
This killing had created a huge uproar as questions were raised over safety and security of thousands of Kashmiri Pandits working in the Valley under the PM’s Package.
These employees, working in Kashmir since 2010, staged protests and demanded relocation to Jammu.
Since then, none of such employees have resumed work in the Valley and are still insisting on being relocated to Jammu.
The government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has given assurances of security but these employees continue to have apprehensions.
Rahul’s targeted killing was followed by another such incident after about two weeks when Amreen Bhat, an artist known for her Tiktok videos, was shot dead at her residence in the same district on May 25.
