Massive blasts erupted near Pantha Chowk around midnight between government forces and militants hiding inside the Delhi Public School (DPS) building on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Militants had taken shelter inside the DPS building after attacking a CRPF vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu highway in Pantha Chowk last evening. A CRPF trooper was killed in the attack claimed by Lashkar-e-Toiba.

Consequently, the school building was cordoned off and searches were started by a joint party of army, SOG and CRPF.

A contact was established with the militants at around around midnight,” said an official.

Fearing protests by the locals near the site of the encounter, the district administration in Srinagar imposed restrictions under section 144 CrPc from Ram Munshibagh to Sempora with immediate effect, last evening. Also, high speed mobile Internet services were suspended across the Kashmir valley.

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