An anti-militancy operation is under way at Handwara village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district since the wee hours of Thursday.
A cordon and a search operation was launched jointly by police, Army and CRPF at Qalamabad, Handwara, some 100 km from here, after an input about the presence of two militants in the area. Some gunshots were heard during the operation.
“The combing is under way,” a security officer said. “There has been no fresh contact with hiding militants,” he said.
While there is no word from officials as to who are trapped at Handwara, sources said there is a possibility that a top militant was holed up at the village.
The authorities, meanwhile, have suspended classes in schools and colleges in Kupwara district. The colleges and higher secondary schools have also been closed in parts of the neighbouring Baramulla district.
Mobile internet services were also snapped in Kupwara as a precautionary measure.
