Seven civilians were killed on Sunday when unused explosives of three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants, gunned down in an encounter, went off in Kulgam district of South Kashmir, police said.

Seven civilians were killed on Sunday when unused explosives of three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants, gunned down in an encounter, went off in Kulgam district of South Kashmir, police said. On Saturday night, the army, CRPF and police launched a search-and-cordon operation at Laroo village in Kulgam following information about the presence of militants in the area.

The forces came under heavy fire from the militants as soon as they reached the house where they were holed up. The security forces made repeated announcements to the militants for surrender but instead they were fired upon. In the retaliatory fire, three militants of Jaish-e-Mohammed were killed.

As the security forces were carrying out routine clearance, they came under heavy stone pelting from a mob, which had cordoned off the encounter site. During the partial withdrawal of the security forces, the mob thronged the encounter site to gather remaining arms and ammunition, which is passed on later to militant groups, police alleged. During this, unexploded shells and grenades of militants went off killing one and injuring several others. They were rushed to a hospital where five succumbed to their injuries.

Police said that the slain militants are locals and were affiliated with JeM outfit. He identified the trio as Zubair Lone, Shahdil Tantray and Yazil Makro. Meanwhile, another youth was killed in firing during the clashes, which had erupted between the militants and security forces.

More than 40 were injured. Advisor to the Governor, K Vijay Kumar, and DGP Dilbag Singh have expressed regret over the loss of civilian lives at the encounter site and conveyed their profound condolences to the bereaved families.

They said such sites should be avoided by civilians till they are properly sanitised. National Conference President Farooq Abdullah and Vice President Omar Abdullah expressed shock and deep anguish over the killing of civilians in Laroo in Kulgam.

Both leaders prayed for peace to departed souls and wishes speedy recovery to the injured. In an email to India Today, JeM paid tributes to the slain militants and civilians in Kulgam. Spokesperson Mohammed Hassan in a statement said, "Every drop of blood will be avenged."

News Agencies