A gunfight broke out in Lal Chowk area of south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Wednesday early morning. Reports said that the encounter started after a joint team of army, SOG and CRPF laid a seige at Mehmaan Mohalla in Lal Chowk.
The cordon-and-search operation was launched in the area since mid-night today. Locals of the area said that heavy firing and blast like sounds are being heard since 4:00 am which created panic in the entire Lal Chowk area of the southern district. A senior police officer told that the joint team of forces lunched the cordon in the area following specific inputs about the presence of some militants.
As the searches were intensified in the area which is very congested, the militants fired upon the forces party triggering off an encounter, he said. He said that two to three militants are believed to be trapped inside a residential house in the area. Meanwhile, in wake of the gunfight authorities snapped internet services in Anantnag district and its adjoining parts. Railway authorities told that the train services has also been suspended to and from Srinagar to Banihal as a precautionary measure.