Wednesday, March 8 2006 10:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Lucknow: Hours after the blasts in Varanasi, a suspected Lashkar-e-Tayyaba militant was shot dead in an encounter with the police in Gosaiganj area on the outskirts of the city early this(Mar 8,2006) morning. Police identified the militant as Salar alias Doctor and did not rule out his involvement in yesterday's blasts at the Sankatmochan temple and Cantonment railway station in Varanasi, which claimed at least twenty lives.

RDX and some detonators were from his possession after the encounter with the Special Task Force (STF), police sources said.

Sources said that Salar was on his way to Lucknow when he was shot dead by the STF in an encounter.