Arms, ammunition and other incriminating materials were recovered from the encounter site.

Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed and a civilian injured during a 12-hour operation in Pulwama’s Tral on Tuesday. According to the police, the two militants, identified as Adfar Fayaz Parray from Tral’s Gulshanpora and Irfan Ahmad Rather from Tral’s Shariefabad, were engaged in a gunfight in a house located at Reshipora area on Monday evening.

The house, where the militants were holed up, was blasted by the security forces during the operation. Both the militants were killed in the encounter and their weapons were also recovered from the encounter site, the police said. “The slain militants, affiliated to Hizbul Mujhadeen, were involved in conspiring and executing several attacks,” said the police.

The encounter also sparked clashes between locals and security forces in nearby areas. Security forces used force to disperse the protesters. “One civilian, Farooq Ahmed Malik, suffered a bullet injury in his hip. He is stable now,” said the hospital administration.

Shutdown in Valley

Meanwhile, shutdown paralysed the normal life in Kashmir valley on Tuesday, with offices and markets remaining closed all day.

Traders’ bodies had called for a protest shutdown against the ban on socio-religious group, Jamaat-e-Islami, and against any move to tinker with Article 35A, which is coming up for hearing in the Supreme Court this week.

Ceasefire violation in Poonch

The Army on Tuesday evening said Pakistani troops violated ceasefire agreement in Poonch and opened small arms fire in Krishna Ghati. “At 6 p.m., Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing mortars and opening fire from small arms in Krishna Ghati. Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively,” said the Army in a statement issued in Jammu.