Security forces were locked in a major stand-off with militants who occupied a seven-storey government building in the Sempora area of south Kashmir on Saturday. At least three militants barged into the building soon after attacking a convoy of security forces, leaving three CRPF jawans dead and eight injured. One civilian, Abdul Gani Mir. died after sustaining a bullet injury later.
Security agencies ruled out a hostage situation. But the operation may take time as storming the building at night is a difficult proposition.
Around 4 p.m., the heavily armed militants surfaced on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway and opened indiscriminate fire at the convoy near Sempora. A bus carrying CRPF jawans, at the end of the convoy, bore the brunt of the attack. Constables Bola Singh and D.K. Rana, who was driving the bus, of the 79 Battalion were among the three killed. Several jawans are in hospital in a critical state. Later, the militants were spotted on the premises of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI), housing three complexes with nearly 95 people in them, with many staying in the hostel. “I was in the main EDI building. We were told by militants to empty it and run. When we tried to flee from the gate, a volley of bullets from security forces drove us towards the hostel building, where we were stranded for hours together before being evacuated in seven shifts,” EDI employee Ishfaq Mir told
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A pause in firing after 5 p.m. allowed evacuation of civilians, including women.
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Sempora area remains sealed off as intermittent firing continues
Intermittent firing was going on between militants who occupied a government building in the Sempora area of south Kashmir and security forces even late in the evening on Saturday. The area remains sealed off and the highway closed for traffic.
“All civilians are out of the building. We have received no message of any hostage,” Inspector-General of Police Syed Javaid Mujtaba Gillani said. “We are not sure how long the operation will take. We are working on it.” One civilian, who works as a gardener, received a bullet injury in the leg. Security forces had to quell stone-throwing protesters at Pampore, as people thronged the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway as news spread.
Two militants were killed in the same area on December 8, 2015.
Meanwhile, Lt.Gen. K J Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, has opposed revocation of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA) in the State. “We should continue with the AFSPA and the DAA. There is a kind of defining stage as there is now reduced infiltration. We have brought down the level of insurgency. So we should continue with these … ,” he said.