SRINAGAR: At least 23 people, including eight security personnel, were injured on Monday in two grenade attacks by militants in Pulwama and Shopian districts of Kashmir, which has been witnessing a spurt in such incidents.
Militants lobbed a grenade towards a police vehicle at Batapora area in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
The grenade exploded on the road injuring 12 civilians including mother-daughter duo and four policemen. The injured were evacuated to nearby hospital, where from a critically injured girl and a policeman were rushed to Srinagar hospital for specialised treatment.
Militants also lobbed a grenade towards a CRPF deployment at Tahab chowk in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday. Four CRPF men including an Assistant Commandant and a civilian were injured in the blast.
Besides, police detected and defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by militants in Sopore in north Kashmir.
The responsibility of almost all grenade attacks in last four days has been claimed by Jaish-e-Mohammad. The outfit also claimed to have detonated IED in Sopore inflicting injuries on policemen.
The grenade attacks have taken place after Jaish chief Maulana Masood Azhar mocked the Ramadan ceasefire announced by central government on May 16.
In an audio clip that has gone viral on social media, Azhar can be heard saying that Indian government was forced to declare ceasefire in Kashmir out of compulsion and it has left open space for JeM.
“Our friends have not announced ceasefire, they have left open space for Jaish, now these places will witness more firing from our side,” he said and warned that Jaish militants would avenge killing of Hizb militants and get Hizb militants released from prisons.
“We have launched investigations into the attacks. We are analysing CCTV footage and finding out persons providing the logistical support to militants,” said a police official.
Probe still on to verify if missing medico joined militant ranks
The Jammu and Kashmir police has expanded probe to verify whether a missing medical student from volatile south Kashmir’s Shopian district, who is the brother of an Indian Police Services officer, has joined the militant ranks. Shamsul Haq Mengnoo, who was pursuing Bachelors of Unani Medicine and Surgery from a government college in Zakura in outskirts of Srinagar, had gone missing since May 26. Druggard village, where he hails from, had witnessed a fierce gunfight between militants and security force on April 1 this year in which seven local militants were killed. “We got the missing report of youth today only,” SP, Shopian, Shailendra Mishra said. There has been no picture of him with a rifle on social media as has been the case in the past, said
the SP.