Jammu:

An encounter has started between security forces and terrorists in the Bani area in the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Sunday.

“Based on specific intelligence about the presence of terrorists, a search operation was launched by police/security forces in the general area of Bani, Kathua,” a police statement said.

“Contact has been established and a few rounds have been fired from both sides. Area cordoned off,” it added.

The operation started after a joint team of police and security forces got input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

There have been a series of encounters between terrorists and security forces across Jammu and Kashmir in the recent past in which many terrorists and their commanders have been eliminated. Security forces have also taken casualties.

Initially confined to Poonch and Rajouri districts, terrorist activities are now spreading across other areas of Jammu, areas that were relatively free from such incidents until a few years ago like the Chenab valley that was declared insurgent-free and Udhampur and Kathua.

The highly trained terrorists have been ambushing vehicles and using grenades and armour-piercing bullets, as well as M4 assault rifles.

Sources say the rising insurgency and the use of sophisticated weapons by terrorists indicate a significant escalation in the threat level. The frequent attacks have sparked political criticism, calls for stronger security measures, and heightened public concern.

Analysts say that over the last couple of years, the Pir Panjal region dividing Kashmir Valley with Jammu has witnessed a surge in insurgency.

The relentless anti-terror operations in Kashmir have pushed terrorists to the mountains where they hide and wait for the right moment to carry out attacks on security forces.

Analysts add that a comprehensive strategy is needed to address the increasing insurgency in Jammu involving enhanced intelligence gathering and better coordination among security forces.

The series of terror attacks also goes on to highlight the urgency of reassessing and strengthening the security grid to ensure the safety and stability of the region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lucknow:

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh over the alleged encounters state, saying a “pattern has been set”.

In a post on X, the SP chief said, “A pattern of encounters has been set under BJP rule: pick someone first, then make up a story of a fake encounter, then show fake pictures to the world, then after the murder, when the family members tell the truth, pressurise them with various kinds of pressure and temptations….”.

“…The more the BJP with its forces tries to prove such encounters to be true, the bigger lie that encounter actually is. BJP carried out the encounter of truth itself,” he added.

भाजपा राज में एनकाउंटर का एक पैटर्न सेट हो गया है :

– पहले किसी को उठाओ
– फिर झूठी मुठभेड़ की कहानी बनाओ
– ⁠फिर दुनिया को झूठी तस्वीरें दिखाओ
– ⁠फिर हत्या के बाद परिवारवालों द्वारा सच बताये जाने पर तरह-तरह के दबाव व प्रलोभन से उन्हें दबाओ
– ⁠विपक्षी राजनीतिक दलों द्वारा…

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 11, 2024

Congress has also slammed the BJP government over alleged encounters in the state.

“The encounter of Mangesh Yadav in Sultanpur has once again proved that the BJP does not believe in the ‘Rule of Law’. Professional forces like STF are being run like ‘criminal gangs’ under the BJP government, the silence of the Central government on this is their clear agreement on this ‘thoko policy’. Dozens of encounters of UP STF are under question. Has any action been taken against any of those officers till date? After all, who is saving them and why.

Touching the Constitution in front of cameras is just a pretence when your own governments are openly tearing it to pieces,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X on September 8.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had last week slammed Samajwadi Party leaders over their allegations.

“You see, when a mafia or a dacoit is killed in a police encounter, it’s as if the police have touched a sensitive nerve, and they start crying out. Tell me, if a dacoit, who was killed in an encounter, had been left to continue his crimes. Could the Samajwadi Party have brought those lives back? During the SP government, police used to run while the goons used to chase them. Today, their roles have been reversed.

The mafia is running, police are chasing,” the Chief Minister said.

Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati earlier hit out at both the BJP and the Samajwadi Party and warned the people to be “cautious of the drama” and said that “no fake encounters” took place during BSP rule in Uttar Pradesh.

“After the encounter incident in Sultanpur district of UP, the BJP and SP are blaming each other for law and order and are doing politics forcefully in the name of crime, criminals and caste, while in this case both they are chor chor mausera bhai’. That is, like the BJP, the law and order situation was many times worse in the SP government. People have not forgotten that the SP goons and mafia used to rob and beat up Dalits, other backward classes, the poor and businessmen in broad daylight,” Mayawati said in a post on X.

She further said that the law was in place only under the rule of the BSP and warned the people to be cautious of the drama of rule of law by BJP and SP.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Faridabad:

A sub-inspector and his team were booked on Tuesday after the family of a man, killed in a police encounter, accused them of murder, officials said.

This comes three days after the encounter and a day after a panchayat was held at Pakhal village demanding the registration of a murder case against the cops, and met a Union minister and a senior Congress leader in the matter.

An FIR has been registered against Sub-Inspector Rakesh Kumar, head of Sector 48 crime unit, and his team under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (common intention) of the IPC at Dhauj police station, said Sube Singh, spokesperson of Faridabad Police.

According to police, the deceased, Balraj alias Balwinder alias Ballu of Pavata Mahabatabad village is a criminal wanted by police in multiple cases of robbery. He was shot dead in a brief police encounter on Saturday while two of his associates were arrested after the incident.

On Monday morning, villagers from Mahabatabad village held a panchayat at nearby Pakhal village and demanded that a murder case be lodged against the cops.

A 35-member committee was formed at the panchayat and senior Congress leader Vijay Pratap Singh spoke to Police Commissioner Rakesh Kumar Arya over phone, demanding that a case of murder be registered against the policemen.

After this, villagers met Union Minister of State Krishnapal Gurjar at his residence in Delhi late in the evening on Monday who assured them that no injustice will be done. A judicial inquiry by Judicial Magistrate Naurang Sharma has been ordered into the matter but the family demanded an FIR before post-mortem. On Tuesday, the FIR was registered.

According to police, the Crime Branch of Sector 48 received information late on Saturday night that Balraj and his two associates were going to commit a crime, police said.

A crime branch team chased the car-borne trio and asked them to stop, they said. “When they asked the three to stop, they opened fire at the Crime Branch team and a bullet hit a police vehicle. Balraj was shot in retaliatory firing by police and his associates were nabbed.

“Balraj was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead,” a senior police officer said.

After the incident, Balraj’s family members and people from his village started gathering at Badshah Khan Hospital alleging that he was murdered.

Balraj was wanted in four cases of robbery and snatching. He got married eight years ago and is survived by three children, among other family members.

His accomplices are identified as Anup alias Chaliya, resident of Dabua colony and Arvind, resident of Rajiv colony, Faridabad. Anup alias Chaliya was lodged in jail for the murder of one Naresh Bhakri and he had come out of jail on bail recently.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)