Two militants, including journalist Shujaat Bukhari’s murderer Naveed Jatt, were killed and two soldiers injured in an encounter between security forces and a group of militants on the morning of Wednesday, 28 November, in Kashmir’s Budgam district.
Announcing his death, J&K Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said they would ask Pakistan to take back his body. “In this case (Bukhari’s killing), he was a prime suspect… We will write to the Government of India to offer his body to Pakistan, through its competent authority,” he said, reported The Indian Express.
A Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorist, Jatt, along with two local terrorists had murdered Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari in Srinagar on 14 June 2018.
Bukhari was shot dead by militants when he came out of his office in Press Enclave and was boarding his car in June. Two of his security guards were also killed in the incident.
Jatt had escaped from police custody from a Srinagar hospital on 6 February this year.
According to reports, the gunfight on Wednesday broke out after security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Chattergam village of Budgam. As the forces were zeroing in on the target house, militants opened fire triggering the encounter.
A senior police official confirmed that two militants were killed and three army men injured in the gunfight, local reports say.
On Tuesday, four militants and one soldier were killed in two separate encounters in Kashmir.
Authorities have suspended mobile Internet services in Budgam and Pulwama districts.
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