One killed as militants strike at Punjab town

Dinanagar (Punjab), July 27: In a suspected terror attack in Punjab early on Monday, militants wearing army uniforms fired indiscriminately in Dinanagar town, leaving at least one person dead and seven injured, including police officials. The town is in Punjab's frontier district of Gurdaspur, close to the India-Pakistan border and near the border with Jammu and Kashmir state. The attack took place just a day after Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal faced pro-Khalistan slogans while attending a function at Punjab University in Patiala. The militants, said to be heavily armed, could have taken some people, including police officials, hostage, police officials at the spot told IANS. A gun battle was on between the terrorists, holed up inside the Dinanagar police station, and security forces, including army troopers. Continuous sound of firing and lobbying of grenades could be heard even three hours after the first shots were fired by the militants. The police station, adjoining government hospital, residential quarters inside the police station and nearby private houses were cordoned off by security forces. Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Abhinav Trikha said: "The encounter is on. We will be able to tell more only after it ends."