By Hanan Zaffar
New Delhi, March 05: Two militants and four civilians -who the army claims to be over-ground workers (OGWs) of combatants -were killed after the militants fired on a mobile vehicle check post of 54 Rashtriya Rifles in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. Local villagers however refuted the army claim and said the four slain men were civilians.
The killings have evoked widespread protests and condemnations in the valley and complete shutdown was observed in most parts of the region post incident.
Requesting people to remain calm State police chief SP Vaid said “Investigation is on in the case. Everything will be cleared and the case will be thoroughly investigated. We will see if the youth killed in firing had any affiliation with militant outfits.”
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Monday said that she was deeply distressed due to the civilian killings in Shopian. The chief minister tweeted her condolences to the families of the people who were ‘caught in cross fire’.
Meanwhile, Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Shah Geelani has rejected the army’s claim that the slain youth killed were OGW’s and termed the killings as worst form of state terrorism.