SRINAGAR: One-and-a-half months after the suicide attack on a CRPF bus in Pulwama that left 40 soldiers dead, another attempt was made on Saturday to target a CRPF convoy on the Srinagar-Jammu highway at Banihal through a car bomb.
While a CRPF bus suffered minor damage, fortunately, there was no casualty. What was worrying though was the security lapse during convoy movement.
A CRPF spokesperson in Jammu told this newspaper that around 10.30 am, a civilian car (Santro) exploded near Banihal while the convoy was passing by.
“The car caught fire and the rear of a CRPF vehicle suffered slight damage. However, no CRPF personnel was injured,” he said.
The car was totally gutted. An intact gas cylinder and a damaged gas cylinder were found near the blast site.
Manish Kumar Sinha, Inspector General of Police in Jammu, said forensic experts confirmed the blast happened due to explosives.
“We have recovered explosive material, gelatine and sulphur from the spot. Certainly, explosives were used,” he said.
“We suspect it was a militant attack,” Sinha said, adding the car driver jumped out of the moving vehicle before the blast and is now on the run.