Life remains crippled for the 4th day in Kupwara due to strike

Baramulla, July 2(UNI) Life remained crippled in the frontier district of Kupwara for the fourth day today due to complete shut down, in protest against the death of four people, including a woman, in an alleged fake encounter.

The main opposition party in the Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference (NC) demanded a judicial probe into the incident, describing it a ''staged encounter''.

However, police claimed three of the slain pople were 'fidayeen', who were planning to storm an Army headquarter at Kupwara.

Shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the road in the town and adjacent areas. Work in government offices and commercial establishments was affected as employees stayed away from work. Educational institutions also remained closed.

The residents alleged that security forces, after killing three innocent people in a van, resorted to indiscriminate firing in the area resulting in the death of Fahmeeda, who was an eyewitness to the fake encounter.

The KBA alleged that three people killed by the security forces were innocents. The eyewitness Fahmeeda was also killed by the security forces, they said and alleged it was a ''stage managed'' show.

Jammu and Kashmir police claimed to have foiled a major fidayeen (suicide) attack when they gunned down three militants before they could storm the headquarter of 28 Infantry Division in the frontier district of Kupwara in north Kashmir in the afternoon of June 28.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Kupwara said, the slain militants had planned to storm the headquarters of 28 infantry Division at Shalkote in the frontier district of Kupwara.

However, a police party killed them a few kilometers away from the district headquarter when they were travelling in a blue coloured Maruti Van JKO3-5941.

Police claimed that the woman was killed in the exchange of fire.

The NC demanded a judicial probe into these killings.

A senior leader of the NC Ali Mohammad Sagar said the commission probing the Ganderbal fake encounter should simultaneously investigate the Kupwara killings too.

UNI