An encounter between militants holed up inside Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) complex at Pampore and government forces is underway since Monday morning in which so far one soldier sustained injuries.A police official told GNS that the gunfight started early Monday morning at around 6 when some people reported to Fire Services and police that one of three buildings of EDI complex have caught fire. “As soon as security forces and Fire Services officials rushed to the spot, they came under fire from hiding militants, triggering an encounter,” he said.The police official said that soon army and SOG rushed to the spot and cordoned off entire area and started operation against the militants who he said are believed to be 2-4 in number.
“The intermittent firing between the two sides continued throughout the day,” he said. The official said one soldier was injured in the firing and he was hit by a bullet in his foot.The local residents said that they heard sound of loud explosions in the evening hours. Sources said that government forces were fitting IEDs to huge EDI building where militants are holed up and then exploding them. Some portion of the building also caught fire and black smoke was billowing from it, the sources added.Earlier in the day, strict curbs were imposed in Pampore Town to prevent locals from staging protests. However some people managed to stage pro-freedom protests near the encounter site. The entire Pampore area was placed under siege by police, Army and CRPF. At the time of filing this report, the encounter between the two sides was going on. (GNS)