A militant involved in the assassination of Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari, was among the two terrorists gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam on Wednesday, police said.
The A++ category Lashkar-e-Tayiba (LeT) terrorist Naveed Jatt was among the three gunmen who shot Rising Kashmir Editor Shujaat Bukhari in June this year outside his office on Srinagar’s Residency Road.
Security forces had started a cordon and search operation in Kuthpora village after receiving specific information about militants’ presence. As the search party was closing in on the hiding militants, the latter fired triggering an encounter.
Three soldiers are also said to have been injured in the exchange of fire.
Naveed Jatt was last spotted at the funeral of a terrorist who was among the five gunned down by security forced in an encounter in Shopian district in August. He had escaped from police custody on 6 February while he was being taken to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital (SMHS) in Srinagar for a medical examination. Two policemen were killed in a shootout at the hospital.
Jatt was an accused in the murder of journalist Shujaat Bukhari, who was shot dead outside his office at Press Enclave in Srinagar on 14 June. He was also involved in terror attacks at Army, CRPF and police personnel.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out at the encounter spot as miscreants pelted the security forces with stones.
On November 23, Azad Malik, a prime accused in the killing of journalist Bukhari, was among the six Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists killed by security forces in a pre-dawn encounter in the Bijbehara area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district.
The police had earlier said Bukhari was shot by terrorists on instructions from Pakistan as he was active in Track-2 diplomacy on the Kashmir issue.