Militants attacked a CRPF convoy at Pampore on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway today killing one jawan and injuring 10 others before they stormed into a nearby government building and took refuge, triggering a stand off.
An unknown number of people are still feared to be trapped inside the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) after nearly 100 staff members and students were evacuated to safety by the security forces, a police official said,
He said efforts were on to ensure that all civilians are evacuated from the premises before the militants could be engaged.
The official said while the exact number of assailants was not yet known but at least one of them was spotted by eyewitnesses entering the compound.
Before storming the EDI campus, militants fired upon a CRPF convoy on Srinagar-Jammu road just outside the campus, the official said.
He said one CRPF head constable was killed while 10 other jawans were injured in the initial attack.
Intermittent exchange of firing has been reported from the spot when last reports came in, he added.
Additional forces have been rushed to the area to strengthen the cordon around the EDI complex to prevent the militants from escaping, he added.
