Gunfight rages in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama

SRINAGAR: A gunfight is raging between a group of militants and security forces in Khanmoh area outside the highway town of Pampore in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district since Thursday afternoon.

The fighting broke out after the militants attacked the police guards of a local BJP leader Dr Anwar Khan. His personal security officer Bilal Ahmed was injured in the attack, the police said. The doctors attending on Ahmed said he received a minor injury in the shootout and is out of danger. The police denied the militants had tried to kill the BJP leader and said that he was inside a building when the attack took place on his security guards who were standing outside.

Soon after the attack, the security forces including the J&K police’s counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG), the Army and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) laid siege to the area to take on the assailants. “While the search operation was underway, contact was established with the holed up militants. The encounter is going on,” said a police spokesperson here.

A statement issued by the police here said that the militants had attacked the security men guarding the BJP activist while he was visiting Arsh Institute at Khonmoh. “The incident happened outside the institute where the PSOs were present,” it said adding that the PSOs “repulsed the attack while exhibiting extreme caution to avoid any collateral damage leading the militants to flee from the spot.”

A report from Khonmoh said that clashes between stone-throwing youth and security forces erupted soon after the encounter started.

“Angry youth in groups are hurling rocks at the security forces apparently to disrupt the operation,” said a local resident over the phone.

Meanwhile, the police on Thursday claimed that it with the Army raided a place in central district of Budgam and arrested three persons who were in possession of three pistols with magazines and two rounds of ammunition. A vehicle in the use of the accused identified as Faizan ul Zaman Bhat, Sajad Ahmed Dar and Miaser Ahmed has also been seized, another police statement said.