Two men and two women were among at least 11 people injured in the Sunday market in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, by a grenade explosion. The attack was carried out close to a CRPF outpost near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) area that is a hub of commercial activity. This comes after the authorities escalated operations against the militants especially after the pegging down of a big LeT commander in the Khanyar locality.
After the blast, the law enforcement officers, and paramilitary authorities promptly rushed to help the wounded people and start the operation to capture culprits. The blast was sudden, causing mayhem as people ran helter-skelter in an attempt to escape a building that was rapidly being filled up. The Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reacted to the attack and said it was a very disturbing incidence that requires better implementation of the security measures. “One cannot explain why civilians become a target,” Abdullah said on X (formerly Twitter), and urged security forces to crack down on militants.
The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks & encounters in parts of the valley. Today’s news of a grenade attack on innocent shoppers at the ‘Sunday market’ in Srinagar is deeply disturbing. There can be no justification for targeting innocent civilians. The…
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 3, 2024
This grenade attack occurs close on the heels of the killing of another key Pakistani LeT commander, Usman, and two other terrorists in Srinagar and Anantnag districts. This youth has been active in the valley for years and was directly involved in the murder of Inspector Masroor Wani, said a senior police officer. It was the first time since September 2022 that terror outfits used Srinagar for an encounter; two local AGuH terrorists were killed.
Reacting to a marked decline in terror incidents compared to previous years the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that security forces are on #highalert. He stressed that terrorism in the region of Jammu and Kashmir would be stamped out in the longer term. These fresh attacks and counter operations are testament to the fact that political instability remains a problem in the Mediterranean theater of operations: officials have pledged to redouble efforts to safeguard the lives of the local population and foil terrorist threats.
(With inputs from PTI)
