Rebels storm I-T building

After weeks of calm, a militant suicide squad sneaked into the city and stormed a fortified complex housing Income Tax headquarters. Two sec...

After weeks of calm, a militant suicide squad sneaked into the city and stormed a fortified complex housing Income Tax headquarters. Two security men and an I-T employee were killed while the building was destroyed by fire.

It was around 3.30 pm when a group of militants appeared at the main gate of the I-T complex and threw grenades at the sentry post. Two armed militants ran inside, firing at the security men. 8216;8216;I was in the corridor when I heard a gunshot. I didn8217;t know it was an attack on our office,8217;8217; said Shafat Ahmad Qawoosa, an I-T employee. 8216;8216;Then the entire place reverberated with loud explosions. I ran into a room.8217;8217;

Qawoosa, who was evacuated along with dozens of other I-T officials, said he saw the militants. 8216;8216;They militants had come up to the first floor. They were wearing phiran,8217;8217; he said.

A dozen Central Reserve Police Force and BSF men were on the top floor of the complex. The shootout led to a fire on the roof that began spreading across the building. There was a little break in the gun fight and the CRPF men started scaling down the walls to escape the fire. Soon a group of holed up I-T officials, most of them women, opened a window cutting its wire-mesh. The women were waving hands and shouting for help.

The rescue effort was, however, initiated by civilians and a couple of journalists especially after the police and securitymen were hesitant to go close to the building. In fact, a civilian snatched a ladder from the firefighters and jumped across the wall. 8216;8216;I was looking at a file on my desk when the entire building shook,8217;8217; said Shugufta Ara, an I-T official. 8216;8216;I thought this is the end of our lives. I couldn8217;t think of anything and ran to my colleague8217;s office. We hid ourselves there. The room was full of smoke,8217;8217; she said.

Waheed Ahmad, a peon, was hit by a bullet in his thigh and was bleeding profusely. The security forces had not, however, recovered his body as the combing operation was still going on. There were 40 I-T employees, including seven officers, and a dozen soldiers inside the building when the militants stormed it. Says S. C Sabharwal, DC, Income Tax, who was also rescued: 8216;8216;It is a new birth for all of us.8217;8217;

Director General of Police Gopal Sharma said that the security forces are still looking for the two militants. 8216;8216;There is a body lying inside the building and we are still to ascertain whether it is the missing I-T employee or the militant,8217;8217; he said. Sharma, however, confirmed the death of a J038;K police man and a CRPF man.