KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
As forces continued firing mortar shells at the J&K EDI hostel building in Sempora Pampore on Wednesday morning, scores of youths rose up in pro-freedom protests across the Jhelum near the “encounter” site.
The river Jhelum flows on the south-west side of the sprawling EDI complex on Srinagar-Jammu highway which is closed for private traffic three days now.
Reports said that the suspected militants believed to be hiding inside the seven-storey—seventy-room hostel building crossed the same Jhelum-which flows in to Pakistan from Baramulla- and entered the EDI building.
“Scores of youths raised pro-freedom slogans on the opposite bank of Jhelum, rom Shalina side, before police vehicles chased them,” reporters present at the spot said, “the protests and pro-freedom sloganeering continued for last two days as well.”
“Forces even fired tear gas shells to disperse the protestors,” a photo-journalist said. “Smoke has engulfed the other end of Jhelum wherefrom protestors came,” he added.
Armed forces on Wednesday morning resumed operation against holed-up suspected militants inside the EDI building near. The “operation” has already consumed 54 hours now.
“There has been no firing from inside the hostel building of the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) since today (Wednesday) morning,” an unnamed senior police officer told a news gathering agency.
Two forces personnel and a policeman were injured as the militants fired from inside on Monday.
The joint operation was launched by the army, the Special Operations Group of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The main building of the institute was attacked in February when militants captured it and launched a major attack on forces. Six persons – a civilian, three soldiers and two paramilitary troopers – were killed then before the three militants were shot dead.
