Punjab police station attack leaves at least five dead

The attackers fired at a bus station and occupied police barracks

Soldiers from the Indian Army in the Gurdaspur district in Punjab where the attack took place (AFP Photo/Narinder Nanu)

Security forces in India are battling gunmen following an attack on a police station in which at least five people have been killed and multiple people injured.

The gunmen are believed to have hijacked a car before firing at a bus station this morning in the state which borders with Pakistan.

They then stormed a police station in the Gurdaspur district, which is 280 miles north of New Delhi.

Authorities have said at least two police officers and three civilians have been confirmed dead.

Abhinav Trikha, a deputy police commissioner, told reporters at the scene the attackers were occupying police barracks and “firing continuously”, according to AFP.

He said: “There were three to four attackers. They were dressed in army uniforms and came in a Maruti car.”

The BBC reported that Rajvinder Singh, a local police officer, said: “We are not sure if the attackers inside the police station are holding some hostages. It is a live, developing situation.”

Senior police officer Dinkar Gupta said members of the army and police exchanged gunfire with the attackers - believed to be from the Indian part of Kashmir - and a Punjab state government spokesman said two of them had died, AP reported.

Police also found five bombs on railway tracks at the Dinanagar railway station.

It still remains unclear who is responsible for the attack.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh has ordered security to be increased at the border with Pakistan.

It is rare for such violence to take place in the state of Punjab. It is more common in Kashmir, which has been partitioned between India and Pakistan since 1947.