Village defence guard killed in encounter with terrorists

JAMMU: A Village Defence Guard (VDG) member attached to security forces combing a forested area for suspected Pakistani terrorists was fatally shot during a gunfight at Basantgarh in J&K’s Udhampur district on Sunday.

The deceased was Mohd Sharief (48) from Basantgarh's Lower Ponar, police said.

Sources said four suspected Pakistani infiltrators knocked at the door of a resident of Kothi Basantgarh and asked him about the route from Chanali to Payali. Suspecting something was amiss, he alerted police.

"Based on the tip-off about terrorists holed up in Chochru Gala heights, security forces, along with VDG members, raided the area around 7.45am. The encounter in the Tharua forests at Seri Gala lasted half an hour, during which a member of the raid team received gunshot wounds and later succumbed to injuries," a police spokesperson said.

A joint team of police, army and CRPF was dispatched to the area to strengthen the cordon after the terrorists fled deep into the forest.

"The area has been sealed. A search is underway to flush out the terrorists," police said.

Basantgarh has been a traditional route for terrorists to infiltrate the Valley from Kathua district via Seojdhar in Doda district.

ADGP Anand Jain said the terrorists belonged to two groups.