SRINAGAR: Seven days after J&K Government’s Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) had invited tenders for construction of security bunkers in its campus, militants on Monday stormed the concrete building and were engaged in a gunfight with security forces.
"The militants were trapped inside a building in the JKEDI complex near Pampore town," a senior police officer here said.
Official sources said two-three heavily armed militants stormed into the EDI building at Sempore, Pampore about 12 kms from Srinagar, summer capital of J&K, early this morning after firing on army patrol party.
They said an army man sustained injuries in the initial gunfight after which militants stormed the EDI concrete building.
After the initial firefight, army, J&K police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) and paramilitary CRPF men laid siege around the area and later soldiers started operation to flush out the militants from the EDI building
The gunshots and loud explosions were being heard from the area. Besides, the helicopters were also hovering over the area to conduct aerial surveillance and pinpoint the militant positions.
Sources said one of the three militants holed up in EDI building may be a Kashmir militant.
Today’s attack on EDI building, which is the second fidayeen attack on the building, took place only seven days after the EDI had floated tenders for construction of security bunkers.
On October 3, EDI had invited tenders from C and D class government contractors (Civil) for construction of security bunkers at its premises at Sempora, Pampore. The security bunkers were to be constructed in a period of 30 days after opening of tenders on October 24 at 3.30 pm.
The EDI building was damaged in February militant attack and the building has not been renovated yet.
Earlier, in February this year, three militants had stormed the three-storey EDI building. In the three day-long long encounter, two army captains, a para commando, two paramilitary CRPF men and a civilian besides all three attackers were killed. It was one of the longest encounters in the Valley.