Pampore: Terrorists Holed Up Inside Govt Building in J&K, Gun Battle On

Srinagar: A gun battle has erupted in the building premises of the head office of Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in Sempora area of Pampore following reports of a fire that broke out early on Monday morning, police said.

Initial reports suggested fire inside the building premises but combing operations intensified after the gunshots were heard and reports of the presence of a couple of terrorists emerged.

"The militants are trapped inside a building in the JKEDI complex near Pampore town," a senior police officer told IANS.

"Security forces surrounded the building and all escape routes of the militants were sealed," he said.

The officer said that intermittent gunshots were heard inside the complex as the security forces were moving in cautiously to flush out the militants.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

Fire tenders have been rushed to the spot, but they are not being allowed to enter the building due to security reasons, the official said.

An encounter between militants and security forces took place at the same premises in February this year which lasted for more than 48 hours.

The JKEDI complex is situated on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, about 10 kilometres from Srinagar.

Vehicular movement on the strategic highway was also suspended.

Meanwhile Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag briefed Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar about the latest developments.

Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah too reacted to the incident on Twitter.

(With inputs from IANS)