Srinagar:

A paramilitary personnel was killed in action while a terrorist was eliminated during an encounter after a village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua came under attack late last night.

Two encounters that began overnight in Jammu have dragged into the morning. This also includes one in Doda where five soldiers and a special police officer (SPO) were injured during the initial shootout.

Just two days before these two terror incidents in Jammu, a bus carrying pilgrims had come under attack in Reasi, killing nine passengers.

Anand Jain, Additional Director General of Police, Jammu zone, who is supervising the anti-terrorist ops in Kathua, shared details of the encounters earlier this morning.

On the Doda incident, he said terrorists opened fire at a joint party of police and Rashtriya Rifles at an army base in Chattargala area late last night. An encounter is underway between the security forces and the terrorists in the higher reaches, he said.

The police said two terrorists were involved in the Kathua attack last evening and one of them has been killed. Security forces are now using drones to hunt for the second one in the Hiranagar area of Kathua.

The terrorists had asked for water from several houses, raising villagers’ suspicions, and opened fire when some villagers raised an alarm, the police said. One civilian was injured in the firing, clarified Mr Jain and denied reports that three people died in the Kathua attack.

“There are rumours that many people are injured and three are dead. But only one civilian was injured, other than this all information regarding hostages being held and death, are rumours,” he said.

The security force personnel who was killed during the encounter belonged to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

ADGP Jain also called the Kathua attack a “fresh infiltration” and pointed at Pakistan without naming the country. “It is our hostile neighbour who always tries to damage the peaceful environment in our country. This (Hiranagar Terror attack) appears to be a fresh infiltration,” he said.

Jammu has been high on the terror radar with these attacks being reported from areas known to be free of terrorism.

Two days earlier, a bus on its way to the Shiv Khori cave temple came under attack in Reasi. The terrorists opened fire after the bus driver refused to deboard the passengers, but lost control and fell into the gorge, the bus company’s manager said. Nine people were killed and 33 injured in the incident. The attack was carried out on the directions of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Abu Hamza, officials said.