'3 killed in gunbattle' had terror links: Cops

Srinagar : The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday maintained that the three persons killed in an encounter in Srinagar city's Lawaypora area had terrorist connections, and refuted the claims of the family members of one of those killed that he had gone to the university to fill a form.

The three -- Aijaz Maqbool Ganai, Ather Mushtaq and Zubair -- were killed during an encounter with the security forces on Wednesday.

According to the police statement, the Lawaypora-Srinagar encounter started after army inputs and eventually turned into a joint operation by the Army, CRPF and the Police.

The police said after a cordon was laid, terrorists lobbed grenades from inside and fired at the search party. Police said as per the SOP, the terrorists were repeatedly asked by the troops to surrender in the evening and again in the morning.

People's Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti sought on Friday an impartial investigation into the killing of three youths in an alleged fake encounter in Srinagar two days ago and demanded that the bodies be returned to their families.

An army soldier was killed in Pakistani ceasefire violation in J&K's Rajouri district on Friday.

Defence ministry spokesman, Colonel Devender Anand said at about 3.30 p.m. on Friday Pakistan initiated an unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing with small arms and shelling with mortars along the (LoC) in Nowshera sector.