Srinagar, Aug 30 (UNI) Three Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants and an Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) of Jammu and Kashmir police were killed in an encounter in the summer capital, Srinagar on Sunday.
Director General of Police (DGP), Dilbag Singh said the militants were given ample opportunity to surrender and even their parents were brought to the encounter site to persuade them to give up arms. A video in which parents of two of the three slain militants are urging their sons to surrender is also doing rounds on social media.

Meanwhile, expressing grief over the death of the ASI, the DGP said Babu Ram was an encounter specialist and had played key role in numerous anti-militancy operations in the valley.

Giving details, Mr Singh said three motorcycle borne militants attacked a joint party of police and CRPF at Panthachowk in the city outskirts late Saturday night. “The militants tried to snatch weapons from the jawans after firing several shots. But alert troops foiled the attempt and chased them,” he told reporters on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony here on Sunday.

Mr Singh said as the militants were being chased, they abandoned their motorcycle and tried to flee on-foot in Dobi Mohalla.

He said the entire area was immediately cordoned off with the help of reinforcements and a search operation was launched.

The DGP said when security forces were moving towards a particular area, militants hiding there, fired at them. “The security forces retaliated ensuing in an encounter,” he said, adding a militant was killed while an ASI was critically injured in the initial exchange of fire.

Mr Singh said the injured officer, identified as ASI Babu Ram, was immediately taken to a hospital where he succumbed. “Ram has been associated with SOG team for a long time and had played key role in numerous anti-militancy operations in the valley,” he added.

Mr Singh said that the parents of the remaining to militants were brought to the encounter site, where they tried to persuade their sons to surrender. “This was despite the fact that we had lost a brave jawan. But we still gave them the opportunity to surrender,” he said.

However, he said the firing again started and in the exchange of fire both the militants were killed on Sunday morning.

He said one of the slain militants was a commander and was active in the area for some time now. “The slain militant is involved in many attacks,” he said, adding all the three militants belonged to LeT.

He said one AK-47 rifle and pistols were recovered from the encounter site.

Official sources said the militants have been identified as Sakin Ahmad, Umar Tariq and Zubair Majeed.
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