2 militants killed, 2 Army men injured in DPS encounter

26/06/2017

Srinagar, Jun 25: Security forces today gunned down two militants holed up inside a school on the outskirts of Srinagar, ending an encounter of over 14 hours in which two Army men were also injured.
The militants had entered the Delhi Public School located close to the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway last evening after attacking a CRPF party in the nearby Pantha Chowk, killing one officer and injuring a constable.
The road opening party of the CRPF was attacked in high security zone located less than a kilometre away from the headquarter of the Srinagar-based Army Corps.
Immediately thereafter, the security forces cordoned off the school premises which has seven buildings, comprising 36 rooms, and the staff and others were evacuated last night itself.
An offensive to flush out the militants was launched this morning, a police official said.
"The exchange of fire between security forces and militants began at around 3.40 am," he said.
"The gunbattle is over and two militants have been killed," the official said this evening after over 14-hour armed engagement.
He said the search and sanitization operation was, however, underway at the encounter site.
Two Army personnel were injured in the gunbattle this morning, the official said. He said the injured have been taken to a hospital.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police S P Vaid had said that there were reports of the presence of two militants inside the building but the exact number would be known after the search of the complex was over.
On the operation getting prolonged, he told reporters, "There are 36 rooms, the building is huge. So, it has to be searched floor by floor, room by room."
He said the security forces wanted to ensure that the (school) building was safe.
"The enemy has a nefarious design that the school buildings are destroyed and children have nothing to study and ultimately abandon their studies, which we will ensure that no such thing happens," the state police chief said.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of wreath laying ceremony of CRPF officer killed in yesterday's attack.
The authorities had imposed restrictions under section 144 CrPc from Ram Munshibagh to Sempora stretch of the national highway as a precautionary measure to avoid protests near the encounter site.
The mobile internet services have been affected across the valley as the network speeds have been reduced.
However, as an encounter raged between security men and militants holed up inside the Delhi Public School here, Jammu and Kashmir's top cop today said the enemy has nefarious designs to destroy school buildings in the Valley so that children abandon their studies.
Director General of state Police S P Vaid said his men want to ensure minimum collateral damage.
"The staff and whoever was inside the building was evacuated yesterday. Cordon was maintained and we will have room intervention done and get these terrorists eliminated, but with minimum collateral damage.
"We want to ensure that the (school) building is safe, because the enemy has a nefarious design that the school buildings are destroyed and children have nothing to study and ultimately abandon their studies, which we will ensure that no such thing happens," he told reporters here.
He was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a wreath laying ceremony of a CRPF officer killed in the attack by militants on a road opening party of the force on Srinagar- Jammu National Highway at Pantha Chowk yesterday.
The militants then took refuge inside the school premises.
The DGP said the operation to flush out the militants was getting prolonged because of the size of the building.
"There are 36 rooms, the building is huge. So, it has to be searched floor by floor, room by room, he said, adding the building where the militants are holed up has been located.
The school has seven buildings.
Vaid said there are reports of the presence of two militants inside the building.
"The exact number will be known after the search of the building is over, but as per the information, there are two probably, he said.
Asked whether the security forces were using drone cameras and other hi-tech gadgets to help flush out the militants, the top cop said, "We will use whatever equipment we have .
Two army personnel were injured in the encounter today as the security forces launched an offensive to flush out the militants.
The militants had entered into the premises of the DPS Srinagar last evening after carrying out an attack on CRPF personnel deployed on road opening duty near the school on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
One CRPF officer was killed and a constable of the force injured in the attack that took place in high security zone located less than a kilometer away from headquarters of Army's Chinar Corps.
Security forces immediately cordoned off the area and launched search operations in the large school campus.
Authorities have imposed restrictions under section 144 CrPc from Ram Munshibagh to Sempora stretch of the national highway as a precautionary measure to avoid protests near the encounter site.

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