There are conflicting reports whether this is a fidayeen (suicide) attack or the terrorists took position in the building after targeting the CRPF convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
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Three personnel of the Indian Army’s Para special forces were martyred in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir, where a fierce encounter with militants holed up inside a government building has been going on for more than 24 hours now.
“No father can be prouder”, said 10 Para Army Captain Pawan Kumar’s father Rajbir Singh on Sunday, as his son was martyred today morning in the ongoing encounter in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the wreath-laying ceremonies of Captain Tushar Mahajan and Lance Naik Om Prakash, who were killed in the encounter, were conducted at the Army’s Chinar headquarters here on Monday, while captain Pawan Kumar’s last rites were reportedly performed at his village in Haryana’s Jind. He su ccumbed to injuries later.
Security forces on Sunday also pressed drones into service to pinpoint the exact location of the terrorists inside the building whose top floor has already been destroyed in a fire caused by the use of explosives.
“Two CRPF personnel died in the initial assault on the convoy and ten others were injured”, Javaid Gillani, inspector general of police for the region, told AFP, adding that militants then entered the complex.
He said the injured officer succumbed to injuries later.
After the attack, the group of guerrillas comprising three to five, believed to belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) outfit, entered the JKEDI complex near the highway where around 120 trainees and staff were present, a senior police official said.
“We are trying to neutralise the militants right now and seeing the pattern of firing, it seems like there are two to four terrorists inside the building”.
Around 100 civilians were evacuated from the building safely by the security forces.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Ghulam Hassan Bhat said, “All civilians including EDI employees, civilians and students trapped inside the campus were evacuated amid a heavy exchange of fire”.
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“Our target is security men, not you… keep calm and leave the building, shouted one of the gunmen in Urdu language”, the traumatized Khan told IANS in a telephonic interview from Pampore.
