J-K: Two policemen injured in encounter in Kishtwar district

Sources said the encounter between militants and police in the hilly district came after nearly seven years. The last counter-insurgency operation was carried there on December 23, 2012. This followed a combing operation by the police and security forces in the forests. This operation has been ongoing for the past few months to flush out militants involved in the killing of a senior BJP leader and a RSS functionary.

An RSS functionary Chanderkant Sharma and his PSO Rajinder Kumar were shot dead by militants at broad daylight, inside the state government-run district hospital, on April 9 this year. Prior to this, militants had gunned down BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his elder brother Ajit Parihar, when they were on their way to home in the town on November 10.

Following these killings, police released posters of nearly half a dozen militants saying that they were active in the district and offered cash award and government job to anyone providing information leading to their killing or apprehension. Significantly, the hilly district which falls in Chenab Valley area of Jammu and Kashmir was declared militancy-free many years ago.