SRINAGAR: In yet gory act of unknown assailants, a toy vendor from Saharanpur (Uttar Pradesh) was killed and 44 other persons including three Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel and civilians were injured in a grenade blast in a Srinagar marketplace on Monday afternoon.
This was the third grenade attack in Kashmir Valley in the last two weeks and the latest in a series of terror acts that took place since October 14 and were blamed by the police on separatist militants.
In earlier attacks, 11 persons including four non-local truck drivers, six labourers and an apple buyer were killed and scores injured in various parts of the Valley.
The police here said that suspected militants tossed a hand grenade towards a makeshift vegetable market along Hari Singh High Street in uptown Srinagar at 1.20 pm, killing a toy vendor from UP and injuring 41 shoppers and pedestrians and three SSB men.
The slain man has been identified as 35-year-old Rinku Singh.
The police and hospital sources said that the condition of two of the injured persons — Aijaz Ahmed and Fayaz Ahmed — both local Kashmiris, is stated to be critical.
The attack took place at a time when the shops in Hari Singh High Street and elsewhere in Srinagar had been shut after remaining open for a few hours in the morning as the stalemate in the Valley over the abrogation of Article 370 continues.
However, roadside vendors were still doing business in several parts of Srinagar including Hari Singh High Street, the police and witnesses said.
The powerful blast caused commotion in the area and many people were seen running for safety.
The police and Central armed police forces personnel deployed in the area were soon joined by reinforcements to conduct searches but no arrests could be made, the witnesses and police sources said.
The J&K police in a statement alleged that terrorists and Pakistan were involved in Monday’s attack and similar other incidents that took place across the Valley over the past few weeks.
It said, “The police had arrested a local terrorist in Sopore two days ago who confessed to have been tasked to throw grenades in busy markets and patrol pumps”. It added “The return of normalcy and opening of shops are unnerving terrorists and their handlers across Pakistan”.
In a grenade attack that took place in north-western town of Sopore last week, as many as 15 civilians were injured. They were targeted when they were waiting at a bus stand.
Earlier on October 26, six members of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were injured when unknown men hurled a hand grenade at them while they were inspecting vehicles at a makeshift check-post in Srinagar’s Karan Nagar area.
In October 12, a grenade blast had left five civilians injured along the Hari Singh High Street.
Since October 14, four non-local truck drivers, six labourers and an apple trader were killed in a series of attacks.
