Friday, January 7 2005 17:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: Carrying out a suicide attack, militants today (Jan 7, 2005) stormed the Income Tax Office in the heart of the city in Srinagar and engaged securitymen in a fierce gunbattle in which a jawan was killed.

The three-storey building was on fire and many people were feared to be trapped inside, official sources said.

Hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately, the militants whose number was not known, stormed the building in Barbarshah locality around 15:45 hrs (IST) killing a security jawan on the spot, the sources said.

The exchange of fire between the ultras and the security forces was still on, they said.

The sources said body of a CRPF jawan was recovered from the building by the reinforcements who rushed to the scene immediately after the attack.

An employee of the Income Tax Department was also evacuated to hospital in injured condition after he managed to come out of the building, they said.

CRPF personnel were guarding the Income Tax building, which is located adjacent to Ranbir Bhavan housing the troops of Border Security Force.

BSF personnel reached the scene of the encounter to assist CRPF personnel in flushing out the militants holed up inside the building, the sources said.

Police parties also rushed to the spot and efforts are being made to rescue the holed up employees, they said.

No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.