A fierce encounter erupted between security forces and a group of terrorists in the Basantgarh area of Udhampur district, Jammu and Kashmir, on Tuesday. The gun battle commenced after security forces successfully located the terrorists hiding in the higher reaches of the Pathi Nalla Khanerd area and cornered them within the dense forest.
Confirming the encounter, DIG Udhampur of Reasi Range, Rayees Mohammad Bhat, took to the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) and stated, “After specific input was gleaned regarding movement in the area, a SADO was launched in the wee hours today by our parties; contact has been established with a group of terrorists in Khaned area of PS Basantgarh. Ops underway @JmuKmrPolice @adgpi @crpfindia.”
No casualties were reported at the time of this update, and a comprehensive search operation is ongoing to apprehend the remaining terrorists. Earlier on Tuesday, a joint search operation was launched by the police and the Indian Army in the Pathi Nalla Khanerd area, following credible intelligence suggesting the presence of a group of terrorists in the higher reaches of Basantgarh.
Reinforcements were immediately dispatched to the area to effectively track down and neutralize the terrorists who had taken refuge in the dense forest. Udhampur, a mountainous district within the Jammu division, has been identified as a potential hiding spot for foreign terrorists due to its dense forests.
In a separate development, opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir announced a joint protest in Kathua district on August 8th to advocate for the restoration of statehood and the revocation of amendments introduced by the central government to enhance the powers of the lieutenant governor in the Union Territory.
The convenor of the all-party meeting and Shiv Sena (UBT) state chief, Manish Sahni, declared, “A joint meeting of all the parties was held at the Congress headquarters in Jammu to chart out the further course of action against the government. We have the same agenda to get back statehood for J&K, hold early assembly elections, and empower the people.”
