How confusion marred the Lucknow encounter

The encounter at Thakurganj near Lucknow which began on Tuesday evening finally came to an end at 3.00 am on Wednesday. The suspected Islamic State militant believed to have carried out the blast on the Bihar-Ujjain passenger train at Jabri railway station in Madhya Pradesh was gunned down by the Uttar Pradesh ATS.

[Lucknow encounter ends, suspected IS militant killed]

There was plenty of confusion during the encounter. The ATS had managed to drill a micro tube camera through the roof of the house in which the IS operative Saifullah was holed up. Imagery suggested that there was another person. However, at the end of the encounter it was found that Saifullah was alone. During the course of the encounter, the police managed to nab two persons, Faizan and Imran who are believed to have assisted Saifullah in executing the train bombing.

The IG of the ATS Assem Arun said that they tried to get Saifullah to surrender. However he refused to do so and said, " I want to attain shahdat." The ATS then used chilli bombs to flush him out, but he continued to fire intermittently.

All through the encounter the residents said that they could hear bursts of fire. The area is residential, so it had to be cordoned off, as the ATS feared that the suspect would escape.

OneIndia News