J&K Police, army, CRPF to hold presser today at 3.30 pm; may address death of JeM man behind Pulwama attack

A joint press conference is to be addressed by the Indian Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police, and CRPF personnel in Srinagar on Monday, after officials stated that the mastermind behind the Pulwama terror attack had been killed in an encounter with security forces in the Tral area of Jammu and Kashmir.

The press conference, which is scheduled for 3.30 pm, is likely to address the killing of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist Mudasir Ahmed Khan alias ‘Mohd Bhai’, who reportedly carried out the recce before the attack on a CRPF convoy travelling on the Jammu-Srinagar highway. At least 40 personnel of the paramilitary force lost their lives when an explosives-laden car was rammed into their bus on 14 February.

Khan is also believed to have provided the car driven by suicide-bomber Adil Ahmed Dar and also to have sourced the explosives used in the attack. Reportedly, Dar had been in constant contact with Khan. Khan who joined the JeM in 2017.

In the encounter in the Pinglish area of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, which broke out on Sunday night, Khan was among the three militants killed, PTI reported. The bodies of the three militants are charred beyond recognition and efforts are on to establish their identity, the report quoted defence officials as saying.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), that is probing the 14 February terror attack, had carried out searches at the residence of Khan on 27 February. A Maruti Eeco minivan was used in the Pulwama terror attack and it was bought by another JeM operative just 10 days before the suicide attack. The JeM operative, identified as Sajjad Bhat, a resident of Bijbehara in south Kashmir, has since been on the run and is believed to have become an active militant now, they said.

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Pinglish after receiving specific intelligence input about the presence of militants in the area. The operation turned into an encounter after the militants opened fire at the search party of the forces who retaliated.

With inputs from agencies