Jammu & Kashmir, Sep 12 (V7N) – Just a week before the long-anticipated Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the Union Territory has been gripped by fresh violence. On Wednesday, three members of the Kashmir-based militant group Jaish-e-Muhammad were killed in a joint operation by the Indian Army and police along the border of Kathua and Udhampur districts, according to local police reports.

The operation involved India's 1 Paracommando Unit, 22 Garhwal Rifles, and the Jammu and Kashmir Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG). Military sources reported that the incident followed shelling from Pakistani troops near the Line of Control (LoC) early Tuesday morning at around 2:30 am. Indian forces returned fire, and during the skirmish, a BSF jawan was injured in the Kanachak area of the Akhnoor sector. Under the cover of this cross-border shelling, Jaish-e-Muhammad militants allegedly infiltrated Indian territory.

Following the infiltration, joint forces launched a search operation in Vasantpur, Kathua district, on Wednesday. The area, covered by mountains and dense forests, was surrounded as the forces moved in, leading to the killing of three Jaish militants. However, no official response has yet come from Pakistan or Jaish-e-Muhammad.

The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections are set to take place in three phases, beginning on September 18, with subsequent polling on September 25 and October 1. The counting of votes is scheduled for October 8, marking the first assembly elections in the region in a decade. Indian police have claimed that Pakistan’s spy agency ISI is attempting to disrupt the voting process.

The situation remains tense, with heightened security measures being implemented to ensure that the elections proceed without further violence.

END/AJ/RH