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Terrorist behind killing of J&K teacher Rajini Bala shot dead
Three terrorists were killed in two encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam and Anantnag districts on Thursday, police said, adding that one of them was responsible for the killing of a 36-year-old school teacher on May 31
Three terrorists were killed in two encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam and Anantnag districts on Thursday, police said, adding that one of them was responsible for the killing of a 36-year-old school teacher on May 31.
The encounter in Kulgam district was started at Mishipora area on Tuesday based on specific information about presence of terrorists, a police spokesperson said.
As the joint party of police and army proceeded towards the spot, the terrorists fired indiscriminately upon the security forces, the spokesperson added. The firing was retaliated effectively by the joint forces. “The hiding terrorists managed to shift their base consistently in the village after the initial exchange of fire … Search was on for the past two days to nab them,” the spokesperson said.
The security forces maintained the cordon and on Thursday, the contact was re-established with the hiding terrorists, resulting in a fresh gunfight, he said.
“In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists of Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) outfit were killed so far,” the spokesperson said.
One of the slain terrorists was identified as Zubair Sofi of Mohan Pora area in Kulgam, who was involved in the killing of school teacher Rajini Bala, he said. “The identification of second terrorist is being ascertained. The operation is still in progress.”
In a separate encounter in Anantnag, security forces killed one unidentified terrorist. “The operation is still underway and presence of more terrorists cannot be ruled out,” the spokesperson said.
Bala was shot dead by terrorists outside the government high school, Gopalpora in Kulgam on May 31 amid a spate of attacks on non-locals in the Valley, and also weeks after protests over the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit, Rahul Bhat, and a TV artist Ambreen Bhat.
Hailing from Samba, 36-year-old Bala had been teaching in Kulgam since her recruitment in 2011 under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes quota of the district cadre.
