Saturday, January 8 2005 18:59 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: Security forces today (Jan 8, 2005) killed two militants holed up in the Income Tax Building in the heart of the city in Srinagar after nearly 25 hours of gunbattle that also left five people including four security personnel dead.

The ultras of al-Mansoorian outfit were killed after security forces launched room-by-room sanitisation exercise to push them to one side of the building in the Barbarshah locality here, Deputy Inspector General of Police H K Lohia said.

He said after facing some difficulty initially, the security forces successfully took over the first and second floors of the building and killed the militants.

During the process, the body of civilian employee of IT Department, Mushtaq Ahmad, who went missing yesterday, was also recovered.

Lohia said four security personnel, including a Deputy Commandant of BSF, S S Rawat, were also killed in the long drawn battle.

The encounter began when the militants stormed the building yesterday afternoon, killing a CRPF jawan and an Indian Reserve Police constable by hurling a grenade.

Rawat, who was among three officers injured in the exchange of fire and grenades with the ultras, succumbed to injuries at Army hospital last night.

The attack comes less than three weeks ahead of the Republic Day celebrations and civic polls scheduled in the State later this month.