JAMMU: The fidayeen took care to save their ammunition, even as army officers chalked out strategies to neutralize them without harming the civilians during the stand off on Wednesday.

By 7 pm, another terrorist had been shot dead. Around 5.30 am, the terrorists, who had sneaked into India from across the border near Kanachak sector in Akhnoor, about 20km from Jammu, on Tuesday, riding a goods carrier fired at an army checkpost in the Domana-Mishriwala area. Junior commissioned officer V V Prakashan of 6 Madras was hit. He later succumbed to his injuries.

The infiltrators then hijacked a three-wheeler, fired indiscriminately killing the auto driver, local milkman Shabir Hussain, a motorcyclist Nasib Singh and an armyman Vijay Kumar, posted in Jaipur, who had come home on leave. Some locals traveling on motorbikes and a policeman were also fired at and injured.

The terrorists took shelter in the house of Billu Ram. His entire family — wife Sunita Devi, 35, Sheetal 9, Arishal 7, Kajal 4, Vipan 3 — was trapped alongwith with the terrorists. A visitor, Ashok Kumar (27), was also with them. Billu Ram was not at his home because he was being treated for a snake bite in hospital.

IGP (Jammu Zone) K Rajendra said that the terrorists were suspected to be the same infiltrators who had cut through the concertina wires on the border. They had taken advantage of the cover fire provided by Pakistani troops. "A high alert has been sounded in Jammu due to the terrorist infiltration from across the border," he said.

Once the hostages are rescued, there will be a "final onslaught", said an army officer, which in military terms means blowing up the building with rocket launchers or explosives. "This (civilian hostages) is what is holding us up from launching final onslaught. We are ready for that," he said.

Army personnel have taken positions on rooftops of adjoining houses in the densely populated Chinore, located on a hillock. Locals staying in nearby homes have been evacuated. People have been asked not to step out of their homes in the city. Grenade explosions and gunshots could be heard in the area throughout the day as the building where the militants were hiding was perforated with bullet marks. By evening, floodlights too had been installed as army got ready for the long haul.

Meanwhile, Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti, the group spearheading the stir for transfer of land to Amarnath shrine board called off its rally in the wake of the terrorist attack as fear gripped the city. "The rally has been cancelled based on the request of the authorities in view of infiltration of militants and their attacks on outskirts of the city in which some people were killed," Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangarsh Samiti leader Naresh Padha said.

The militant attack comes at a time when the Centre had rushed on Wednesday about 1200 additional Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to Jammu to assist the local security forces in maintaining law and order.

This is the second major gun battle in Jammu region in less than three and a half months. Six people were killed in Samba town, 40 km south west of Jammu May 11. Terrorists had infiltrated from across the international border in Samba sector on May 8 before surfacing on May 11 morning. Three militants were killed in that gunfight.

However, this is the first attack on Jammu city in six years. Back on March 30, 2002, at least nine persons, including two terrorists were killed when fidayeen had stormed the Raghunath temple.