At least 12 persons, including four policemen, were injured on Monday after unknown persons tossed a grenade towards a police team in one of the packed thoroughfares of Shopian district on Monday morning.
After the grenade exploded on the busy Batapora Chowk, policemen fired several rounds in air, a police official said.
Officials at District Hospital Shopian identified some of the injured civilians as Muhammad Maqbool of Ganawpora, Balpora; Farooq Ahmad Khan of Tachloo; Mir Asim of Pinjoora; Fareeda and her daughter Nadiya of SedowShopian.
The injured police personnel are Gulzar Ahmad, SHO Shopian, and constables Javed Ahmad, Altaf Ahmad and Nazir Ahmad.
The mother daughter duo and constable Javed Ahmad were admitted to the SMHS Hospital in Srinagar. While Javed was discharged after preliminary treatment, Fareeda and Nadiya are being treated for shrapnel injuries. Though both are stable, the medical superintendent SMHS Hospital said they were undergoing tests for ruling out damage to internal organs.
The blast created panic among the people and they frantically ran for life.
“I heard a big bang followed by dozens of gun shots. As I ran for cover, I saw some vehicles whooshing past at high speed” said Bilal Ahmad, an eyewitness.
A commuter, who was waiting for a cab when the blast took place, said that he saw a young girl completely drenched in blood while people were running helter-skelter, some stumbled over one another.
“For a moment it gave rise to a stampede-like situation,” he added.
While Kashmir witnessed a sharp spike in the militancy related attacks over a past couple of weeks, Shopian police chief Shailendra Mishra said that there was hardly any spurt in militant attacks in the area. “Unlike other places, it is the first such attack in the district,” he added.
3 CIVILIANS, 4 CRPF TROOPERS INJURED IN GRENADE ATTACK
Three civilians and four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were injured after unknown persons tossed a grenade toward at CRPF vehicle deployed at TahabChowk in Pulwama district on Monday evening.
The injured civilians—Shugufta Jan of Litter, FizaJaan of Washbugh and Arshid Ahmad of Pulwama—were being treated at the District Hospital, Pulwama.
The injured troopers were identified as AnujPatik, Sumit Kumar, Sunbir Singh and Suresh Kumar.