Militant who killed CRPF jawan, minor boy in Anantnag gunned down in Srinagar encounter

The militant responsible for the killing of a six-year-old boy and a CRPF jawan in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir last week was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in the Malbagh area of the city, police said on Friday (July 3).

The militant – identified as Zahid Dass affiliated with Jammu Kashmir Islamic State – was behind the attack on a CRPF party at Bijbehara in south Kashmir on June 26, they said. “#Killer of JKP & CRPF personnel at #Bijbehara #Anantnag and one 6 years old boy, #terrorist Zahid Daas killed in yesterdays #encounter at #Srinagar. Big success for JKP & CRPF,” Inspector General of Police Kashmir Vijay Kumar said in a Tweet on the Kashmir Police Zones Twitter handle.

The CRPF jawan and the six-year-old boy were killed when militants attacked a road opening party of 90 Batallion CRPF near Padshahi Bagh bridge in the Bijbehara area of Anantnag.

While Kumar gave no further details, a police official said security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the Malbagh area near Habak Crossing late on Thursday night following information about the presence of militants there. He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire towards security forces positions. In the exchange of firing, one militant and a CRPF Jawan were killed, the official said.