In a first, owner appeals militants to surrender to save his house from damage

In a rare instance, the owner of the house in which three militants were hiding in Srinagar's Zoonimar area pleaded with the militants to surrender in order to save his house from being destroyed during the gunfight. Last month, the security forces were censured after they razed 21 residential houses to rubble in Srinagar's Nawakadal to kill two militants.

Srinagar: In one of the rare occasion in Kashmir conflict, the owner of the house in which three militants were killed in an encounter in Srinagar's Zoonimar is heard pleading to the trapped militants to surrender so that his house is not damaged during the gunfight.

A audio has been released by police on social media in which the house owner is appealing to the trapped militants to surrender.

"I request you to come out and surrender so that my house is saved. My daughter is getting married next month. I have family. Please, save my house and come out," the house owner whose name is not mentioned in the audio, is heard saying.

"I had told you yesterday also to leave my house. Please, come out now. They (security forces) will blast my house," he says.

However, the militants apparently did not listen to appeals and were killed in the ensuing gunfight.

The Inspector General of Police Kashmir Range Vijay Kumar said in a press conference in Srinagar that before the encounter, security forces gave an offer of surrender to the three militants which they declined.

"The hiding militants were repeatedly appealed to surrender through family members and community members of the area but instead they started firing indiscriminately upon search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter," he said.

This is a rare occasion in Kashmir that during encounters police has called in the house owner to appeal the trapped militants to surrender.

Last month, in Srinagar's Nawakadal 21 residential houses were razed to rubble during the encounter where Junaid Sehrai, son of separatist leader Ashraf Sehrai, was killed.

Security forces were censured for destroying 21 houses to kill two militants.

In most the encounters, police said that they appeal militants to surrender, but so far none of the trapped militants have laid down the arms during encounters.