At least five CRPF personnel and as many policemen sustained injuries after the suspected militants lobbed a grenade at a joint patrolling party here Friday afternoon, police authorities said. The injured include an assistant
commandant of 180 battalion, sources confirmed to Greater Kashmir. Police sources said a joint party of CRPF and police was heading towards Hamdania market Tral to deal with stone pelting and protests when the militants tossed a grenade toward the patrol party. Militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed the attack saying, “the forces party was attacked when it was on way to suppress people.”
The grenade exploded with a big bang triggering retaliation from the forces. An eyewitness said the forces resorted to firing for about 15 minutes causing panic in the town with people running for safety.
“After the culmination of Friday prayers at Khankah-e-faiz Panah Tral, hundreds of young boys took out a protest march against the recent civilian killings. Protesters pelted forces with stones and police and paramilitary troopers tried to chase away the protesters. In the resulting chaos the militants lobbed a grenade toward the forces in Hamdania Bazar,” a police official said on the condition of anonymity.
The injured troopers sustained splinters and were immediately shifted to Sub District Hospital (SDH) for treatment wherefrom all injured were referred to Srinagar for advanced treatment. The injured were identified as Karnail Singh, R.N Malik,Ram Saru, Rishpal Singh, K.Basker Row,Patel Tariq,Aijaz Ahmed,Gh. Haider,Skinder Yadav and Mohammad Altaf.
A source said that attackers lobbed grenade and managed to escape after the attack. Soon after the grenade attack, the forces personnel comprising Jammu and Kashmir police, army’s 42 Rashtriya Rifles and 180 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) rushed to entire Tral-I-Bala area and launched cordon and conducted searches to nab the assailants.
Meanwhile, militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has claimed the responsibility of Tral grenade attack. Hizb’s operational spokesperson Burhan-ud-din, according to local newsgathering agency CNS, said that the attack was carried out on the forces “when they were on way to suppress people.” Hizb has claimed injuries to a dozen forces personnel.