Lal, who took several bullets on his body during the terrorist attack early on Tuesday, is being treated at the Sree Sai Hospital in Moradabad.

He was struggling to recount the night’s events. “It was after two,” Lal said, “We were near the railway line — me and another colleague — when we heard movement in a tea shop next to the railway gateman’s cabin. Before we could investigate, the air was sprayed with bullets. I saw two of the attackers who were firing from AK 47 rifles. I fired back but they were quick on their feet and had escaped through the gate.”

Lal said before he could open fire on the attackers, he had already been hit on his arms, shoulder and legs.

“The pain was so intense that I fainted,” he said. Lal could not explain how the assailants came so near. “Several vehicles had entered the centre. Their entry permits had been checked. Perhaps the attackers had parked their vehicle near their hiding spot,” he added. On the bed next to him was another official Kendarpal, who had been seriously injured.

Several shacks line the entrance to the CRPF camp. Locals said these shacks are illegal and may have served as a convenient hiding place for the armed intruders.

Rickshaw-puller Kishan, who was among the eight killed along with seven CRPF men, was sleeping in one of these shacks when the attackers opened fire. His blood-stained blanket was still lying on the bed.