Heavy firing exchanges between the security forces and a militant started on Friday morning near the international border in Jammu and Kashmir, hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit here. A group of heavily-armed militants infiltrated into the Indian side at Arnia in Jammu district on Thursday. The security forces took them on and four militants were killed. A total of 10 people, including four civilians, were killed in this operation in the RS Pura area. A senior police officer said the operation to nab the militant is on going and heavy firing is under way.

Militant Attack On Jammu And Kashmir Army:

The firing ensued when security forces launched a cordon and search operation to track down a militant hiding in a bunker and retrieve bodies of civilians killed in Thursday’s gunbattle. An Army official said that the fourth militant, who was holed up in a bunker, has been killed in the encounter in Arnia. Arnia is about 110 km from Udhampur where PM Modi is expected to address a poll rally at 12 pm. He will later address a rally at Poonch, about 230 km from Jammu. It is worst affected by consistent cross LoC firing.

Fresh gunfight in Arnia hours ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir:

On Thursday, terrorists in military fatigues gunned down three army jawans and an equal number of civilians in a gunbattle in Arnia sector, 3km from the International Border (IB). Four of the gunmen were also shot dead.

In a terror strike on the eve of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu Division, militants wearing combat uniform had on Thursday attacked two Army bunkers close to the border leaving 10 people dead.

According to police and intelligence agencies, the men numbering at least five to six crossed over early in the morning under cover fire provided by Pakistan Rangers and reached Pindi village, 2 km from the IB.

Suspicious locals alerted the police and the group, moving on foot, was apprehended at a Territorial Army check-point. But the men didn’t stop, running into an abandoned army bunker nearby where they fired at civilians, killing two and injuring several. A third villager died later.

Heavy security blanket put in place for Modi’s rally:

PM Modi is scheduled to arrive in Udhampur around noon on Friday to address election rallies before the second phase of assembly elections on December 2. A multi-tier security set up has been put in place at the venue of the rally at Battal Balian in the outskirts of Udhampur town in view of the Thursday’s terror attack, a senior police officer said.

Troops in and around Udhampur have been deployed in strength and all routes to the venue have been sealed and multiple check points set up with deployment of heavily armed para military and police forces.