Jammu: As a fierce gunfight between the militants and security forces in the Billawar area of Jammu and Kashmir’s frontier Kathua district continued on the second consecutive day on Sunday, the officials said that one of the holed-up militants has been killed and the operation stepped up to neutralise others. On Saturday evening, J&K police head-constable Bashir Ahmed had laid down his life whereas two other police officials including a deputy superintendent were critically injured in the initial exchange of fire at Kog-Mandlia, a remote village of the Billawar tehsil of Kathua. J&K’s outgoing DGP R.R. Swain while praising the valour of Mr. Ahmed said that he fearlessly defended his community and the country, delivering a strong blow to the terrorists with his LMG before succumbing to his injuries. The DGP also prayed for the swift recovery of the injured personnel. Jammu’s ADGP Anand Jain said that a cordon-and-search operation was launched in the village on Saturday afternoon on receiving information about the presence of three to four foreign terrorists. He told reporters that a vast area is under tight security cordon and the operation is underway to neutralise the remaining militants hiding there. He said, “As per the intelligence input, the presence of terrorists was reported in a house and subsequently an operation was launched which is underway”. He added, “We are getting continuous information about terrorists and subsequently conducting operations with an endeavour to neutralise them as soon as possible.” He further stated that necessary security arrangements are being put in place to ensure peace during the polling in the third and final phase of the J&K Assembly elections on Tuesday. Besides Kathua, polling will take place in the Jammu, Udhampur and Samba districts in Jammu region and Kashmir Valley’s Baramulla, Kupwara and Bandipore districts. Meanwhile, National Conference (NC) vice president and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being responsible for the deteriorating security situation in the Jammu region. “The rise in militancy, and the increasing number of attacks across regions like Chenab, Pir Panchal, Reasi, Jammu, Samba and Kathua have occurred during the BJP’s tenure. The overall security situation in the Jammu region has worsened. Also, the Modi government has failed to provide any meaningful development in J&K over the past 5-6 years. They have nothing to sell from the last five years; hence they are, day in and day out, attacking the National Conference and the Congress,” he told reporters in Baramulla.
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