Most part of the concrete building has been reduced to a skeleton as many of its walls have been blown up. Elite Para commandos of the army have also been called in to neutralise the militants but the security personnel are not rushing into the building to avoid casualties, the officials said.

One of LeT terrorists was killed by the security forces on Tuesday night in Pampore’s Entrepreneurship Development Institute hostel building. However, the gunbattle in Pampore has now entered its third day. ANI reports that a third day of encounter between the Army and terrorists ensued on Wednesday, while Police sources say that one more terrorist has been killed in the operation today.

On Tuesday, Army personnel fired mortar shells at the multi-storey building of EDI building at Pampore on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway at regular intervals with the aim of flushing out the militants or cornering them to one side of the building, officials said. The ultras did not fire in retaliation, they said. The operation was launched on Monday and has now been going on for more than 40 hours.

Also read | Pampore attack: Why terrorists have attacked EDI building twice in 8 months

After getting inside the complex, the militants set on fire few mattresses inside a hostel room to attract the attention of the police and other security forces, which arrived within minutes of the smoke emanating from the building. In the initial exchange of firing, one army soldier was injured, the officials said.

Most part of the concrete building has been reduced to a skeleton as many of its walls have been blown up. Elite Para commandos of the army have also been called in to neutralise the militants but the security personnel are not rushing into the building to avoid casualties, the officials said.

The area around the EDI premises has been cordoned off to prevent the militants from escaping, the official said.

Also read | J&K: Terrorists holed up in govt building in Pampore; 1 jawan injured

Meanwhile, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy on Tuesday suffered a grenade attack in which two jawans and four civilians were injured in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir. The attack occurred when the CRPF convoy was patrolling in the area which is already under heightened security, with a government building under attack by terrorists almost 50 kilometres away.