SRI NAGAR: With just days to go for the inauguration of Jammu & Kashmir as a Union Territory, militants on Saturday attacked a paramilitary CRPF party at Karan Nagar area in Srinagar with a grenade, injuring six paramilitary personnel.
CRPF spokesman Pankaj Singh told this newspaper that militants lobbed a grenade towards a party of CRPF 145 bn near the gate of SMHS hospital at Karan Nagar area in Srinagar at around 7 pm.
The grenade exploded causing splinter injuries to six paramilitary personnel. The injured CRPF men have been hospitalised. After the grenade attack, the paramilitary personnel fired some rounds in air.
The grenade blast and the firing caused panic in the area with people running to take cover.
Immediately after the grenade attack, police and paramilitary personnel laid siege around the area and conducted searches in the area and adjoining areas to nab the militants responsible for the grenade attack. The combing operation was in progress when reports last poured in.
The CRPF personnel remain deployed in strength in Karan Nagar area throughout the day and also during night time to maintain law and order as the area houses security camps, police station and a hospital.
The grenade attack has come two days after militants killed two non-local truck drivers and set three trucks on fire in a village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district.
This is the first attack on paramilitary forces after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories (UTs) by the Centre on August 5.
On October 25, two government school buildings were set on fire by unknown persons at Chawalgam in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. Earlier, unknown persons had also set on fire a government school building in Wadoo in Kulgam district.
Search on for culprits
The grenade exploded causing splinter injuries to six paramilitary personnel, who have been hospitalised. The area was cordoned off for search operation