One person was killed and nine others, including two policemen, were injured in a powerful grenade explosion triggered by militants at Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of Srinagar on Friday, official sources said in Srinagar. Militants hurled the grenade towards a police party near defunct cinema hall Pladium in the busy business area. The grenade exploded, killing an unidentified person and injuring nine others, including two policemen and an advocate, the sources said. Tehreek-i-Jehad-e-Islami, a pro-Pakistan militant outfit, claimed responsibility for the grenade attack. Soon after the blast, Superintendent of Police (East) G M Dar visited the scene to take stock of the situation, the sources said.
Meanwhile, security forces averted two major tragedies in north Kashmir on Friday with timely detection of two powerful improvised explosive devices planted by militants at Palpora in Kupwara and Bulgam in Baramulla districts, they said. The IED's were detected by the road opening parties of the security forces and later destroyed by experts, they added.
Bureau Report