A grenade attack at a crowded Sunday market in Srinagar has left at least a dozen civilians injured. The explosion, which occurred in the bustling area, saw injured shoppers rushed to nearby hospitals as security forces secured the area. More information on the incident and the condition of those injured is awaited.
This attack comes amid a period of heightened tension in Jammu and Kashmir, with multiple recent encounters between security personnel and militants across the Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, expressed concern over the spate of violence, condemning the targeting of civilians in the grenade attack.
“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,” Mr. Abdullah wrote in a post on X. He urged the security apparatus to intensify efforts to halt the violence, saying, “The security apparatus must do everything possible to end this spurt of attacks at the earliest so that people can go about their lives without any fear.”
In Jammu and Kashmir, security and law enforcement are managed by the central government and the Union Territory’s Lieutenant Governor, not the elected government. This arrangement adds further significance to the calls for enhanced security.
The recent violence also includes a series of gunfights in the valley between security forces and militants. Just yesterday, security personnel neutralized a Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander identified as Usman in Srinagar’s Khanyar area. Vidhi Kumar Birdi, Kashmir’s Inspector General of Police, confirmed the completion of the operation, stating that Usman, a foreign terrorist and LeT commander, was killed. Four security personnel were reported injured in the encounter. “Now this operation has been completed. Security forces have killed a terrorist, who has been identified as Usman…, he was the commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba,” Birdi told ANI.
Earlier on the same day, security forces also neutralized two terrorists in Anantnag district in another encounter.
The Chenab Times News Desk
