Srinagar attack

SRINAGAR: Nine people including two troopers of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were wounded in a grenade attack in Srinagar on Sunday, officials said.

The grenade hurled by suspected militants in the Lal Chowk area also wounded seven civilians, according to officials.

“Two troopers of Charlie 171 company, who were on law and order duty, received minor injuries...,” CRPF spokesperson Pankaj Singh said.

Those injured in the attack were rushed to two separate hospitals. One of the CRPF personnel and four civilians were discharged later in the day. The rest are stable.

The grenade was lobbed inside a park where the CRPF men were on law and order duty, Haseeb Mughal, Srinagar’s senior superintendent of police, said. “We are investigating who the attackers were,” he added.

The Lal Chowk area remains abuzz on Sunday due to a weekly flea market.

The incident came just over a week after three people includ

ing two securitymen suffered injuries in a similar attack by suspected militants in the Old City.

At least eight such grenade attacks have been reported in Srinagar since the Centre nullified Article 370 on August 5 to withdraw the special status accorded to the erstwhile state.

“There have been many arrests in these attacks. Recently, we arrested a module of five people of the Jaish-e-Mohammed,” SSP Mughal said.

Last week, Vijay Kumar, Kashmir’s inspector general of police, said local militants were making low-intensity grenades and carrying out attacks to make their presence felt.

An internal security note says after the nullification of Article 370 on August 5, the situation was managed well despite efforts by militants to bring civilian life to a standstill.

Though militants tried to stop the opening of shops, private and commercial transport, apple trade, and Class 10 and 12 exams, the challenges were met head-on, the notes says, adding that anti-terrorist operations were continuing in 2020 too.