Special forces gunned down 64 terrorists, including three top terrorist commanders identified as Qari Yasir of the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Burhan Koka of the Ansar Gazwat ul Hind (AGH), and Riyaz Naikoo of the Hizbul Mujahideen in 27 anti-terror operations since January this year, Vijay Kumar, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir informed media on Thursday.

‘Total 25 active militants and 125 overground workers of the militants have been arrested during the same period,’ Kumar said.

Talking about the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Riyaz Naikoo on Wednesday, IGP said that it was a huge success for the security forces.

‘The security forces were tracking his movement for the last six months and there was pinpoint information about his location that led to the operation in which he was eliminated. Naikoo instigated youth to join militancy by releasing videos after every month or two months,’ he explained.

Hizbul Mujahideen’s chief operations commander Riyaz Naikoo was gunned down along with his associate at Beighpora village in South Kashmir’s Awantipora sub-district on May 6.

Naikoo carried a ₹12.5 lakh bounty on his head and had been on the spree for the past eight years. After Naikoo’s killing, the area experienced some violent clashes and stone-pelting, the IGP informed.

‘First time since August 5, there was a law and order problem near the site of an encounter after the killing of any militant,’ the top cop said, ‘It was a localised affair in which few people were injured; some of them had bullet injuries.’

Kumar also said that the restrictions on the Internet and mobile phones in Kashmir after Naikoo’s killing was a necessary move to maintain law and order and the decision will be reviewed when the situation is better.

‘Communication gag is important, otherwise rumours could have spread, old videos would have been posted to instigate people when the situation comes under control the gag will be lifted,’ he added.

Talking about the burial of terrorists amid the outbreak of COVID-19, the top cop clarified that the bodies of the terrorists killed in the encounters will not be handed to their families for burial at their native places till COVID-19 has eradicated.

‘If we allow for identification at encounter sites and permit burial at their native places, huge gatherings might spread infection of COVID-19,’ IGP Vijay Kumar said.

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