Blast before Farooq Abdullah’s rally in Jammu & Kashmir, 17 hurt

Srinagar: At least, 17 people were injured in a grenade blast in Magam town of Kashmir’s central district of Budgam, hours before ruling National Conference (NC) leader and Union minister Farooq Abdullah was to address an election rally there on Sunday.

Earlier Mr. Abdullah’s rally at Khanyar in central Srinagar was disturbed as militants exploded a grenade in a neighbourhood locality. Indigenous militant outfit Hizb-ul-Mujahedin has owned the twin blasts saying these should serve warning to those bent upon to sell the “sacrifices of our martyrs”.

Reports said that the militants tossed the grenade in busy marketplace at the main bus terminus, causing injuries to civilians. 14 of them were referred to a Srinagar hospital after the incident.

Addressing the rally, Mr. Abdullah said, “These explosions will not deter me. These should not deter you from coming out and voting for the National Conference.” He asked people to come out in large numbers and vote for his party on April 30 and May 7.

Tensions ran high in Srinagar and Baramulla as police have detained dozens of youth and activists of various separatist political groups and other potential “trouble-makers” ahead of the polling.