A police officer and two policemen from the traffic department were injured when militants lobbed a grenade at Zero Bridge in Srinagar on Thursday, the police said.
This is the second grenade attack in a week’s time in the state’s summer capital. On January 11, militants hurled a grenade at the 132 battalion of Central Reserve Police Force at Palladium Chowk in the heart of city’s commercial hub, Lal Chowk. However, no loss of life was reported in the incident.
About Thursday’s attack, the police said that militants tossed a grenade at policemen who were manning traffic on the busy Zero Bridge at around 2 pm.
“An assistant sub-inspector and two traffic policemen were injured in the grenade attack. All the injured are stable,” senior superintendent of police Srinagar Imtiaz Ismail told Greater Kashmir.
The injured were identified as ASI Iqbal Singh of 14th battalion of J&K armed police and head constables Sonaullah and Haris Manzoor of the traffic police department.
A police spokesman in a statement confirmed injuries to the ASI and two traffic policemen, saying the injured were taken to a hospital and are “stable”.
“Police have registered a case and officers are working to establish full circumstances of the incident,” the statement read, adding: “If anybody has any information that can assist the police in its investigation, he/she may contact the police.”
Soon after the incident, the entire area was cordoned off and searches were launched to nab the attackers.
A police official, who wished not to be named, said: “It seems that militants have received a fresh consignment of grenades and are trying their best to show their presence.”
“Appropriate measures will be taken to prevent such attacks”, he said.
Meanwhile, Jaish-e-Muhammad claimed responsibility for the Zero Bridge grenade attack. The outfit had also claimed January 11 Palladium grenade blast.
Interestingly, the two incidents of grenade explosions come ahead of January 26. “All forces’ installations are on high alert to thwart any possible militant strike ahead of the R-day,” the police official said.