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| Mosque standoff on, three hostages escape | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu/Srinagar | Dec 24
As a grim reminder of the situation of early to mid 1990s in Kashmir the standoff between three Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists holding five civilians hostage inside a mosque and security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam District entered the second day today.
However, the latest reports pouring in said the militants released three hostages after protracted negotiations late in the day, officials said. Local police said militants belonging to the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, who were on the run, had taken the locals hostage in the mosque in southern Kulgam on Sunday.
This was after the rebels opened gunfire from inside the mosque in Palanyarepora village, 75 kilometres south of state capital Srinagar, leaving one civilian and two soldiers injured.
Three militants of HM outfit took shelter in Jamia Masjid Palnoo falling under the jurisdiction of P/S Yaripora, Kulgam when 62 RR and Police Kulgam launched cordon/ search operation in the said area last afternoon.
The trapped militants have made five civilians hostage inside the Mosque and have also opened fire on searching troops. The fire was retaliated and during cross firing one civilian namely Tajamul-Islam Mir, of Palnoo sustained injuries, who has been shifted to bones and joints hospital Srinagar.
The holed up militants have been identified as Shiraz Ahmad Bhat alias Asger of Braihard Katpora, Mudasir Ahmad Mir alias Jehangir, of Kanjikola and Ishfaq Ahmad Wagay, of Batapora Hangol Buch. The efforts are on by police and civilian administration to motivate the trapped militants for surrender.
Police first of all evacuated the villagers. The civil administrators and police kept on negotiating with the holed up militants with the help of local Imam, headman and other respectable persons.
The relatives of the militants were informed, however they declined to come to meet the holed up militants so far. The police and civil administration also offered food to the holed up persons which was not accepted by the militants.
After protracted efforts the the militants released two hostages after negotiations which started Sunday. The breakthrough came after the chief priest and an official joined in the talks and convinced them to free the locals," a local police official said.
Police added that the militants had refused food and other supplies, although the other three hostages were safe and unharmed. "It is not clear as to when they will release the other hostages, though efforts are on," he added. |
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