Sopore gunbattle leaves behind tragedies,trail of destruction

Sopore, Dec 29 : The gunbattle at Saidpora, Sopore in which six militants were killed has left behind a trail of destruction in the area with scores of orchards and houses damaged completely.

 The 48-hour encounter that ended last evening had put Saidpora area under complete siege with parts of Sopore witnessing heavy stone-pelting.

 The locals of Saidpora said their orchards and houses were completely damaged in the encounter. “We were not allowed to step outside our houses during the past two days. We only heard blasts every second minute,” said a local. “It was a war-like situation.”

 According to locals, houses of Ghulam Muhammad Dar son of Ghulam Rasool Dar and Khaati wife of Late Muhammad Nawab Dar were razed to rubble in the fierce gunbattle. “The families are roofless now,” the locals told Greater Kashmir.

 The residents said scores of orchards were badly damaged during the action. “We have less regret about damage to the houses but destruction to the orchards is a big loss. It took us decades to groom the orchards,” the families said.

 The damage to orchards was caused by the movement of army bulldozers, the locals said. “Dozens of trees were uprooted in the encounter. It is a big loss. We have been giving our best to maintain the orchards but now there is nothing more than debris,” Khaati said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

 According to locals, the houses of Muhammad Ramzan Bhat, Ghulam Hassan Bhat, Ghulam Mohiuddin Dar, Abdul Hamid Dar, Ghulam Muhammad Dar, Khursheed Ahmad Dar, Abdul Malik Dar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Ghulam Rasool Dar, Muhammad Dilawar, Muhammad Ashraf Dar, Mushtaq Ahmad Dar and Abdul Rashid Peer were also damaged in the encounter.

Meanwhile, the town observed complete shutdown for the second consecutive day today. Government institutions and business establishments remained closed with traffic remaining off the roads.

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SA/EN