Pampore Encounter Claims Three Armymen; One Militant on Day Two

Six armymen, including two Captains, a militant and a civilian have lost their lives in the Pampore encounter.

Security forces personnel take position outside the JKEDI building where militants have reportedly taken refuge. (Photo: PTI)

On the second day of the exchange of gunfire at the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) three security personnel, and a militant were killed.

The Indian army lost Captain Pawan Kumar, Captain Tushar Mahajan and jawan Om Prakash, all of the elite Para commando units, in the gunbattle.

The group of three to four terrorists were holed up inside a government building in Pampore in the outskirts of Srinagar.

Security forces outside the JKEDI building, where militants have reportedly taken refuge, in Pampore, Kashmir on Sunday, 21 February 2016. (Photo: PTI)

The multi-storied building of JKEDI in Pampore caught fire on Sunday afternoon as the encounter between the Indian security forces and the heavily-armed terrorists continued till late Sunday night.

On Saturday, the group of militants had opened fire on a CRPF convoy on Srinagar-Jammu national highway at Sempora in the district and took refuge in the JKEDI building.

Through Sunday, the terrorists kept on firing and throwing grenades on the security forces who surrounded the building and making attempts to storm it.

Body of Captain Pawan Kumar who lost his life in a gun battle with militants, at the 15 Corps headquarters at Badami Bagh in Srinagar on Sunday, 21 February 2016. (Photo: PTI)

The army succeeded in eliminating one of the terrorists by Sunday evening, an official said.

However, the Army has reportedly retracted the statement due to some confusion.

Security forces were put on high alert across Jammu region following the encounter in Pampore in Kashmir. The counter insurgency grid in Jammu has been put on high alert and security has been tightened at all vital installations in the region.

Tight security arrangements have been put in place, the counter insurgency and the counter infiltration grids have been tightened in the entire Jammu region. Nothing can be left to chance and all preparations are in place to thwart any nefarious designs of the anti national elements. 

<b>Ashkoor Wani, DIG, Jammu-Kathua Range</b>

He said all entry points to Jammu from the border areas have been sealed and vehicles entering the city are being checked throughly. Border Security Force (BSF), which guards the International Border (IB) in Jammu region, too is maintaining tight vigil.

Security forces outside the JKEDI building, where militants have reportedly taken refuge, in Pampore, Kashmir on Sunday, 21 February 2016. (Photo: PTI)

The army has also deployed additional troops along the Line of Control (LoC) to check infiltration.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra also expressed his grief over the loss of lives in the ongoing Pampore terrorist attack.

The Governor has expressed grief over the death of five personnel of CRPF and Army including two young Army officers and a devoted civilian employee of Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in the continuing terror attack at Pampore. He also wished for speedy recovery of the injured soldiers. The Governor has been constantly monitoring the situation with the top security officials, including the Northern Army Commander and DGP.

<b>Governor’s Office, Raj Bhawan</b>

(With agency inputs)