16 injured in J& K grenade attack

Militants hurl grenade at busy intersection in J& K’s Shopian town ◗ The area witnessed protests after the incident. Locals alleged that the police started firing their rifles indiscriminately after the blast.

Srinagar: In eleventh such incident in Kashmir Valley in past week, sixteen people, 12 civilians and four policemen, were injured in a grenade blast in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Shopian town on Monday. The police and witnesses said that suspected militants exploded a grenade at a busy intersection in Shopian

In eleventh such incident in Kashmir Valley in past week, sixteen people, 12 civilians and four policemen, were injured in a grenade blast in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Shopian town on Monday.

The police and witnesses said that suspected militants exploded a grenade at a busy intersection in Shopian causing injuries to civilians and policemen.

The condition of one of the victims, a young girl, is stated to be critical.

The officials said that the militants targeted policemen on duty near Sumo cab stand of Shopian.

“They hurled a hand grenade towards the policemen. It fell on road and exploded. At least, twelve civilian pedestrians and four policemen were injured after they were hit by splinters,” a police official said.

The area witnessed protests by people after the incident. The locals alleged that the police started firing their rifles indiscriminately after the grenade blast and that some of the injured may have been hit in this act.

This was the eleventh grenade blast in the Valley during past week. In a series of grenade explosions four CRPF jawans, a police man and a woman resident were injured in summer capital Srinagar at the weekend. Jaish- e- Muhammad ( JeM) had claimed responsibility for carrying out these attacks.

It has claimed responsibility for planning an Improvised Explosive Device ( IED) along Nathipora- Wadoora road outside north- western town of Sopore on Monday.

While the SSP Sopore Javaid Iqbal said that the security forces detected the Improvised Explosive Device which was subsequently defused by Bomb Disposal Squad ( BDS) without causing any damage, the JeM claimed that its cadres detonated it “causing injuries to several Indian forces personnel and damage to their vehicle”.

Later in the evening, two CRPF jawans were injured in a similar attack in Tahab area of neighbouring Pulwama district, the state police said.