Basit Dar, a militant commander, who played a key role in keeping the militancy pot boiling in post-2019 Kashmir and carried a bounty of ₹10 lakh for his alleged involvement in a spate of civilian and police killings, was shot dead along with one of his associates in a gunfight in Kulgam district on Tuesday.

Valley police chief V.K. Birdi said Dar, the chief of the shadowy The Resistance Front (TRF), a Lashkar outfit, was involved in more than 18 militancy-related incidents, including the killing of police and civilians, some of them members of the minority Hindu community.

In July 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced a bounty of ₹10 lakh on Dar, a resident of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district.

“Basit Dar was associated with TRF and was an ‘A-category’ terrorist. It (Dar’s killing) is a significant achievement for us. The reason is that he was involved in more than 18 cases in Srinagar city, including the killing of police personnel and innocent civilians. He was also involved in the planning and carrying out attacks on minorities, civilians and security forces,” Birdi, the additional director-general of police (ADGP), told reporters in Kulgam.

The ADGP added that two militants were killed in the gunfight in the Redwani Payeen village of Kulgam.

Kulgam is part of the Anantnag-Rajouri parliamentary seat, which has witnessed a spate of militancy despite peak electioneering. The election was rescheduled from May 7 to May 25 at the request of the BJP and its allies.

Militants on Saturday killed an Indian Air Force officer and injured five others in a sudden attack. A massive manhunt initiated after the attack has so far failed to nab
the militants.

The gunfight in Kulgam that killed Dar had started on Monday night after joint security forces launched an operation in the area based on a tip-off on militant presence.

“The operation was on hold till early Tuesday morning because of darkness. With the first light, the operation was resumed and it resulted in the elimination of two terrorists,” Birdi said.

The ADGP said the two militants were asked to surrender but they paid no attention and opened fire on the forces.

In April, two militants were killed in Sopore.