Four killed in Srinagar gunfight, clashes

(IANS) Three militants and a civilian were killed on Saturday during a gunfight and subsequent clashes in Srinagar, police said. A senior Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer told reporters here all the three holed up militants were killed in the gunfight with the security forces in Chattabal area’s Gasi Mohalla locality.

Security forces, including the police and the CRPF surrounded the area following a tip-off about the presence of the militants. The militants belonged to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror outfit.

“Their identities were being ascertained,” the officer said. The civilian identified as Adil Ahmed Yadoo was killed after being hit by a vehicle during clashes by residents in Safa Kadal — a densely populated downtown neighbourhood on the banks of Jhelum. Locals have alleged that a CRPF vehicle ran over Yadoo but its spokesperson Rajesh Yadav refuted the claim.

“There was no CRPF vehicle in the area and the allegation is baseless,” Yadav told IANS. He was taken to the S.M.H.S hospital in a critical condition where doctors pronounced him dead.

A CRPF officer was wounded in the gunfight while three photo-journalists sustained injuries while they were covering the clashes. Schools and colleges suspended class work as tension spread in the city. Markets and other business shut down.

Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in Srinagar district and brought down the speed of fixed line broadband connections.