CRPF men take positions near Delhi Public School (DPS) during an encounter with the militants at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar on Sunday. PTISrinagar: Security forces Sunday 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 Saturday 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 headquarters of the Srinagar-based Army Corps.
Immediately thereafter, the security forces cordoned off the school premises which has seven buildings, comprising 36 rooms. The school staff and others were evacuated Saturday night itself.
An offensive to flush out the militants was launched Sunday morning, a police officer said.
"The exchange of fire between security forces and militants began around 3.40 am. The gun battle is over and two militants have been killed," the officer said.
He said the search and sensitization operation was, however, under way at the encounter site.
Bullet proof vehicles stationed in the premises of Delhi Public School (DPS) where two militants were holed up during an encounter with the security forces at Pantha Chowk in Srinagar on Sunday. PTIJawans injured
Two army personnel, who were injured in the gun battle Sunday morning, were admitted to hospital, the officer said.
On the operation getting prolonged, Jammu and Kashmir's director general of police S.P. Vaid 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. 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 Saturday'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.
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