One militant was killed and an Indian Army soldier was injured during an encounter in Shopian district of Kashmir on Saturday, PTI reported. The encounter began after a search team found four armed men hiding inside a house near Dobjan village, about 60 km from Srinagar. The encounter is still underway.
Police officials said that the militants began firing at the security personnel and tried to escape. The search team was sent after security forces received intelligence inputs about the armed men, an official told PTI.
Meanwhile, at least 20 people were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in Srinagar. Among those wounded, six people were reported to have sustained injuries after they were shot by pump-action guns. The clashes took place after a 16-year-old boy died at a city hospital. The teenager was reported missing on October 25. On October 31, he was found lying unconscious in Shalimar area of the city. Some residents alleged that the minor was administered a poisonous substance by the security forces.
Separately, a school was also set ablaze in Bandipora district of the state, according to ANI. At least 26 schools in the state have been burned since the unrest in the Valley began. On Tuesday, the Jammu district magistrate ordered the closure of all 174 schools in the region near India’s border with Pakistan. The attacks on the schools have come even as the state has pledged to go ahead with its board examinations.
Normal life in the Valley continued to remain paralysed for the 120th consecutive day. More than 90 people have been killed in the unrest following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. Hundreds have sustained grievous injuries during protests in the past three months. The situation in the state has also led to a deterioration in relations between India and Pakistan. Reports of ceasefire violations by Pakistan have increased since the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes along the Line of Control on September 29.
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