JAMMU, Feb 26:
Asserting that the seven killed in Lolab encounter in north Kashmir were confirmed to be militants, Jammu and Kashmir government today said curfew was not imposed in the region, but preventive measures were taken to avoid law and order situation.
“Seven bodies (of those killed in the encounter) were confirmed to be of militants who were operating in the forests of Lolab,” Minister of State for Home, Sajjad Ahmed Kitchloo told state Assembly today.
“After completing medico-legal formalities like post-mortem, photography, DNA sampling, the dead bodies were handed over to local Auquaf Committee of Lalpora, which also confirmed that none of the killed militants was a local and civilian,” he said, adding that the bodies were then buried in a local graveyard at Lalpora.
Describing the details, Kitchloo said a case was registered after the encounter at Lalpora police station on Monday, and post mortem was being conducted on Tuesday when a mob gathered outside the station and resorted to stone-pelting, injuring 21 policemen and damaging public and private property.
Police exercised restraint to ensure civilians were not hurt while resorting to tear gas and smoke shells to disperse the mob which set bunkers at the station on fire, he said.
“No curfew was imposed in Lolab, but only restriction under section 144 CrPC was imposed there as precautionary measure,” the Minister informed the Assembly.
Case under sections 307, 148,147, 149, 336, 436 RPC, section 3 of PTT Act (Prevention of Damage of Public Property Act) has been registered in Lalpora police station, he said.
The District Administration of Kupwara has taken all possible measures to avoid any law and order situation and to ensure that peace is not disturbed and general public is not put to any inconvenience, the MoS home said. (AGENCIES)