Attackers storm Indian police station, at least one dead

Incident comes weeks after PM Nawaz and Modi spoke during a summit in Russia

NEW DELHI: Indian security forces were battling attackers who stormed a police station near the Pakistan border on Monday, killing at least one officer.

A police spokesperson in the northern state of Punjab said at least six people had been injured in the ongoing siege and added that the attackers may be holding people hostage.

"One police jawan has been killed and, for now, there are unconfirmed reports of at least one more dead," local police spokesperson Rajvinder Singh told AFP by phone from the town of Gurdaspur.

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"The exchange of fire is still on between the security forces who have reached the spot, including the army," he said.

"We are also not sure if the attackers inside the police station are holding some hostages. It is a live, developing situation."

Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he had ordered increased security on the border with Pakistan after the incident.

It remained unclear who was behind the assault on the police station.
Such attacks are relatively common in the disputed Kashmir region, which is divided between India and Pakistan, but unusual in neighbouring Punjab.

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The incident comes weeks after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif spoke for about an hour during a summit in Russia, raising hopes of an improvement in perennially difficult relations.