J&K: Militant held for grenade attack on migrants killed

“Based on disclosures of arrested hybrid terrorist and in continuous raids by police and security forces, another contact has been established between terrorists and SFs (security forces) at Nowgam, Shopian, in which hybrid terrorist, namely Imran Bashir Ganaie, (was) killed by firing of another terrorist,” J&K Police said in a tweet.

According to police, hybrid militants are those who are not in their records, but are associated with militancy.

Police said “incriminating materials, arms and ammunition have been recovered from the hideout/ site of contact”, and the search operation in the area was still going on.

Militants threw grenade in tin shed where workers slept. (PTI)

On Tuesday, police had identified Ganaie as the “hybrid militant” who threw the grenade inside the tin shed where migrant workers were sleeping, in Hermain village of Shopian district late on Monday night. Two migrants, Ram Sagar (50) and Manish Kumar (40), both from Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh, were killed in the attack.

Additional Director General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar had said that Ganaie, a resident of Hermain village, was arrested hours after the attack, and he had “confessed”. His associate was also picked up on Tuesday morning, police said, but did not name the second militant.

Raising questions over Ganaie’s death, former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti tweeted: “Using dubious nomenclature — hybrid militant & chance encounters – to justify civilian killings has become the norm in Kashmir. Imran Ganaie arrested by the police & then killed in their custody allegedly by another militant defies logic & deserves a thorough investigation.”