Two top militants of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen were shot dead by security forces in Pulwama district on Saturday morning, a defence spokesman said.

Acting on specific information that militants killed a civilian in Shopian, 52 km from Srinagar, in the wee hours of Saturday, troops of 62 Rashtriya Rifles launched an operation and killed the two militants of HuM around 8.30 am, the spokesman said.

One of the slain militants was identified as Noor Khan alias Aabu Mavia, a self-styled district commander of HuM for Shopian area, he said.

He said two AK rifles and some ammunition were recovered from the slain militants.

However, residents of Shopian staged a demonstration alleging that a civilian was killed by security forces. Police and civil officials rushed to the scene to take stock of the situation, officials said.