india

Updated: Mar 20, 2015 11:51 IST

The encounter between security personnel and militants in Kathua district of Jammu has ended, leaving three militants and two policemen dead.

Militants, wearing army fatigues attacked a police station in Jammu's Kathua district early on Friday and killed two persons, police said.

The encounter happened at Rajbagh police station, some 15km from the international border. Eight security personnel -- seven from the CRPF and one policeman -- and one civilian were injured in the attack.

Kathua deputy commissioner Shahid Iqbal said about four militants launched the attack.

"Six policemen were inside the station... A CRPF unit is stationed on the first floor of the police station. A CRPF man posted as sentry of the station was shot dead by the terrorists," said Iqbal.

This is the first major assault in the militancy-hit state following the formation of a Peoples Democratic Party-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition government.

A senior police officer said, "Militants used automatic weapons and hurled grenades at the Rajbagh police station."

Reinforcements from the army, paramilitary forces and state police have been rushed to spot, the officer said.

Reports said after killing the sentry at the police station's guard post, the guerrillas entered the police station, 65km from Jammu on the strategic Jammu-Pathankot national highway in Kathua district.

Traffic on the highway has been stopped after the attack around 6am.

"The police station is 15kms away from the international border and it is likely that the group of attackers crossed the border recently," a senior intelligence officer told IANS.

Home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to the the DGP of J-K and the heads of other security agencies regrading the attack.

Former J-K chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted, "These Fidayeen will have walked across the border last night & launched their attack this morning which is the past pattern as well."

Twelve people were killed on September 26, 2013 when guerrillas had attacked Hiranagar police station in Kathua district and later entered an army camp on the Jammu-Pathankot national highway.

My thoughts are with those brave security personnel dealing with the Fidayeen attack in Kathua town of Jammu this morning.

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) March 20, 2015

(With inputs from agencies)

