Saddam Padder, the top Hizb commander and the missing Kashmir University Professor Mohammad Rafi Bhat were among the five militants killed in the Shopian encounter on Sunday, the police said.
According to the news agency GNS, the slain militants were identified as Saddam Padder, Muhammad Rafi Bhat, Tawseef Sheikh, Bilal Moulvi and Adil Ahmad. Padder was an aide of slain Hizb commander Burhan Wani.
Earlier the Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid said five militants were killed in the encounter. He said five bodies have been recovered from the gunfight site.
Efforts were made to persuade the militants to surrender, however they refused, the police said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, SP Pani said, “The announcements were made on loudspeakers. We even tried to take families to the encounter site to persuade the militants but to no avail,” said Pani.
The family members of Professor Bhat and at least 15 scholars were brought to the encounter site to persuade him surrender.
