Major crisis occurred before Independence Day: Security forces on J&K encounter

Security forces on Friday gunned down a terrorist belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during an encounter in Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K)'s Kulgam district, which began on Thursday afternoon. Two security personnel and two civilians were reported to have been injured in the shooting.

Kashmir's inspector-general of police (IGP) Vijay Kumar said that a "major tragedy" was averted just days before India celebrates its 75th Independence Day on August 15 with the conclusion of the Kulgam encounter.

"Kulgam Encounter Update: Operation is over now," the Kashmir Zone police tweeted on Friday morning. Quoting the IGP Kashmir, the police department said, "A major tragedy has been averted before Independence Day."

According to the security officials, the LeT terrorists fired upon a Border Security Force (BSF) convoy on Thursday, triggering the encounter. Soon, senior officers of J&K police, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and the Indian Army rushed to the spot to provide backup and cordoned off the area. The encounter continued throughout the night.

"Around 3pm [on Thursday], terrorists fired upon the convoy of BSF on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway near Malpora Mir Bazar area of Kulgam. However, the fire was retaliated by an ROP (road opening party) of the police and security forces," a police spokesperson told sources.