Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police on Sunday said that the two militants killed on Saturday in a gunfight with the government forces in Kulgam district of south Kashmir were tested positive for COVID-19.
A police spokesperson, in a statement issued here, said that while carrying out the medico-legal formalities the samples of the killed militants were taken and sent for COVID-19 test. “Today, the test reports were received from CD [Chest Disease] Hospital Srinagar and both the killed terrorists were confirmed as Coronavirus positive,” the spokesperson added.
Two militants were killed during the gunfight in Arreh area of district of Kulgam on Saturday. During initial exchange of firing one militant was killed and three army soldiers including JCO was injured.
Inspector General of Police (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar had said that operation was halted for a few hours as the police had brought second militant’s family to the site, so that his family could persuade him to surrender. However the trapped militant refused to surrender, the IGP added.
The police also added that since the outbreak of the pandemic and “to ensure the safety of people from inherent risk of contracting the infection, the burial of the killed terrorists is carried out at designated places.”
“Medico-legal formalities are strictly followed in respect of such killed terrorists which includes post-mortem, DNA and Covid-19 tests. The dead bodies of the said killed terrorists shall be carried through protective care ambulance and buried strictly as per Covid-19 protocol at Baramulla,” said the police spokesperson.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, the government has not returned bodies of the killed militants and instead buried most of them in north Kashmir’s Baramulla and Central Kashmir’s Sonamarg areas.