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Central team arrives in J&K

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Alarmed by yesterday's militant attacks in which seven police personnel, including a sub-inspector, were killed, the Union home ministry today rushed a special team led by Special Secretary T R Kakkar to Jammu and Kashmir.

Director General of Police Gurbachan Jagat too arrived in Srinagar this morning to take stock of the situation.

Kakkar, who was accompanied by Director General of Border Security Force E N Rammohan and some other senior officers, called on Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah at his Gupkar residence.

During the meeting, which lasted half-an-hour, the prevailing law and order situation was discussed. The team members later had a detailed meeting with top state police officers led by Director General Jagat

Later, Rammohan accompanied by senior state and BSF officials visited the area in the city where militants struck with silencer-fitted pistols and grenades yesterday, killing seven policemen and injuring 18 others.

Jagat, sources said, immediately after his arrival here visited the Kashmir range Police Headquarters at Batmaloo. The Range Police Chief Gopal Sharma briefed him about the situation.

It was decided in the meeting to intensify anti-militant operations in Srinagar. The DG also visited the injured policemen.

Meanwhile, in continued violence in the valley, a police constable's body was recovered from a village and militants lobbed two powerful hand grenades in a busy market area in Srinagar. Nobody was injured.

At least eight persons, including five extremists and three armymen were killed in a fierce gun battle at Village Palma in Rajouri district late this evening. A senior police officer told rediff.com that a captain was among those killed. Eight soldiers were seriously wounded.

The wounded soldiers were shifted to hospital. Police said the militants opened fire with automatic weapons on a raiding party of the 18 Dogras, killing three of them on the spot. Reinforcements were rushed to the spot, but they too came under fire, resulting in injuries to eight soldiers. The troops later encircled the area and took on the militants, killing five.

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