Jammu: 4th militant killed in Arnia encounter; PM Modi continues with rally

Jammu: The fourth militant, who was holed up in an abandoned Army bunker, has been killed in a fresh encounter in Arnia on Friday, an Army officer said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, continued with his scheduled political rally,

Fresh firing erupted near the Arnia border belt of Jammu district on Friday morning when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in Thursday’s gunbattle.

A day after militants attacked two Army bunkers close to the India-Pakistan border leaving 10 people, including three civilians and as many jawans dead in a gunbattle, security forces launched an operation to track down the holed up militant.

An Army official said that security forces, who had launched a cordon and search operation at the site of encounter in Arnia on Friday morning to retrieve bodies of civilians, came under fire from the militant hiding in a bunker triggering fresh exchanges.

Bodies of the three civilians could not be taken out on Thursdayin view of the gunfight, he said, adding search for another militant was also launched simultaneously.

In a terror strike on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu Division, militants wearing combat uniform had on Thursday attacked two Army bunkers close to the border leaving 10 people dead.

The dead also included four heavily armed militants who were holed up in a bunker after they were suspected to have infiltrated into Arnia sector from across the border in Jammu district to carry out a fidayeen attack.

Army used tanks in the operation with an intention to blast the bunker, where the lone surviving militant has taken shelter during the encounter.

A multi-tier security set up has been put in place at the venue of Mr. Modi’s rally at Battal Balian in the outskirts of Udhampur town in view of the Thursday’s terror attack, a senior police officer said.

Troops in and around Udhampur have been deployed in strength and all routes to the venue have been sealed and multiple check points set up with deployment of heavily armed para military and police forces.

He will also address another rally in border town of Poonch district.

PTI