3 pro-Khalistan militants killed in encounter: Cops

Three alleged pro-Khalistan militants were on Monday gunned down during an encounter with a joint force of the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Punjab Police in Sikh-dominated Pilibhit district in Uttar Pradesh, UP deputy general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar said.

- Ravinder Vasudeva and Rohit Kumar Singh

Punjab Police director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the three people were identified as Gurwinder Singh, 25, of Bhaini Bania Mohalla, Virendra Singh alias Ravi, 23, of Agwan and Jasan Preet Singh alias Pratap Singh, 18, of Shur Khurd, all in Gurdaspur area of Punjab.

He said the three were allegedly part of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), a Pakistan-sponsored terror module and were hiding in Pilibhit after they attacked a police outpost in Gurdaspur with grenades and bombs on December 18.

"In a joint operation against, #Pakistan's ISI operative in Punjab, a collaborative effort between UP Police & Punjab Police led to an encounter with three operatives of KZF in the jurisdiction of PS Puranpur, Pilibhit. The three operatives are accused of attacking the Bakshiwala Police Station in Kalanaur," Yadav said in a post on X.

UP Police additional director general (law and order) Amitabh Yash said the encounter happened within the Puranpur police station limits and the terrorists first opened fire on police after they were trapped. The three were then injured after police opened retaliatory fire and were rushed to a local hospital where they succumbed to their bullet wounds.