In what the officials claimed is a major breakthrough against the militants, the security forces on Monday shot dead a top commander of LeT in an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir’s Bandipore area, 52 km north of here.
The police here said that after receiving information about the presence of the Lashkar’s “divisional commander” Ajmal Shah, alias Abu Darar, with two other militants in village Garoora Aragam outside the Bandipore town, the soldiers of Army’s 10 Gharwal and 14 Rashtriya Rifles along with the members of local police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group laid siege to it during the intervening night of July 17 and 18 but the searches yielded no result and the soldiers returned to a nearby camp. As their source insisted on the presence of Abu Darar and two of accomplices, they again relocated to the village on Monday morning.
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Khalistan rebel bases in Germany
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
July 19: Central intelligence agencies have got input that there are attempts to revive militancy in Punjab, especially by groups based in Germany. The intelligence agencies are doing a review of the blacklisted persons, including those who are living abroad. Intelligence sources said that the Punjab police is keeping a close vigil on the activities of all such persons who may be involved in efforts to revive militancy in Punjab and have arrested a few Khalistan militants in this regard in the recent past.
The persons who are in the blacklist have travel restrictions and are not eligible to get any Indian visa. “Those who have criminal cases slapped against them will not be shown any leniency,” said an official.