A suspect militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen was shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district early on Friday. A police spokesperson told the Hindustan Times that the man, identified as Yawar Nissar Shergujri alias Algazi, was a new recruit, and that two others had escaped in the dark.

A civilian, who has not been identified yet, also died in the crossfire in Bijbehara town in the South Kashmir district, 55 km from Srinagar. The local police have released his photograph for identification, PTI reported. A soldier was also injured in the encounter.

The police said Yawar was a “chronic stone-pelter who had joined militants only 30 days back”. He was wanted in a number of related cases. The police imposed restrictions as a preventive measure in Bijbehara after handing Yadav’s body over to his family for burial.

Thousands of people participated in Algazi’s funeral prayer after he was laid to rest in a graveyard near Lal Chowk, Kashmir Observer reported.