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Gunfight has started now as militants turned down the surrender offer and opened fire and lobbed grenade on joint search party, a police officer said. 

It follows police tweet that “four newly recruited local (militants) of Al-Badr outfit (are) trapped in Kanigam area of Shopian.

Exercising maximum restraint, Police & security forces are trying their best to persuade them to surrender.

The police officer told that even their families were brought to the site in a bid to persuade them to surrender.  “They opened fire which has been retaliated, leading to encounter,” he said.