At least five people, including two Army jawans, two CRPF soldiers and one civilian, were reportedly killed in an encounter that started Saturday in the Pampore district of Jammu & Kashmir. A fire broke out Sunday in a building where two-three militants are suspected to be holed up.
The Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI), where the encounter is reportedly underway, caught fire Sunday afternoon. The militants with whom the security personnel are exchanging fire belong to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and entered India through Pakistan occupied Kashmir, India Today quoted its sources as saying.
However, there is no official confirmation on this.
Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and 11 others injured when the militants attacked a CRPF bus on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway. While a soldier of 9 Para succumbed to his injuries at a Srinagar hospital Sunday, 10 Paramilitary Army Captain Pawan Kumar died at t 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar's Badamibagh Cantt.
The deceased civilian was a gardener of the JKEDI, said India Today.
"Captain Pawan was martyred while he was leading his troops from the front. Indian Army officers always lead from the front as is evident from the operations here in Kashmir in the recent past," Lieutenant General Satish Kumar Dua told ANI.
The militants, after attacking the CRPF bus Saturday, entered the JKEDI complex, from where as many as 120 people were evacuated, IANS reports.
Pampore Encounter UPDATE: One more Paratrooper killed in ongoing encounter with terrorists in Pampore (J&K). Death toll 5
— ANI (@ANI_news) February 21, 2016
Fire at EDI building in Pampore (J&K) where encounter between terrorists & security forces is on pic.twitter.com/6qGxGkGCpz — ANI (@ANI_news) February 21, 2016
