Srinagar | At least 11 civilians injured as terrorists hurl grenade at CRPF bunker

Terrorists lobbed a grenade at a CRPF bunker near a crowded flea market in the heart of Srinagar on Sunday, injuring at least 11 civilians, officials said.

The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), comes a day after security forces eliminated a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar.

Act of desperation

A senior police officer said the terrorists hurled the grenade at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bunker near the TRC. "However, the grenade missed the intended target and landed on the roadside, injuring 11 people," the officer said.

Also read: Srinagar encounter: Top LeT commander killed, 4 security personnel hurt

The blast took place close to the weekly flea market, popularly known as the Sunday market, which is thronged by thousands. The explosion caused panic in the area and sent shoppers scrambling for cover.

The officer said the attack was borne out of the desperation of terrorists following Saturday's killing of the LeT commander.

Police and paramilitary forces have been rushed to the spot to evacuate the injured and launch a search operation to track the terrorists, the officials said.

Omar flays terror attack

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the grenade attack that injured 11 people and said the security apparatus must do everything possible to check the spurt in terror attacks in the UT.

Abdullah said in a post on X, “The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks and encounters in parts of the Valley. 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.”

“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,” he added.

Congress' Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Tariq Hameed Karra also condemned the grenade attack. “It is deeply disturbing to learn about the unfortunate and ghastly incident of a grenade attack on shopkeepers...,” Karra said.

“The Jammu and Kashmir Police must take effective measures to contain such brutal and inhuman attacks so that the public can move freely and without any fear,” he added.

Top LeT commander killed

Earlier, the security forces had eliminated Usman, a high-profile terrorist commander of the Pakistan-based terror organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Also read: NC seeks probe into spike in Valley attacks since Omar’s swearing-in

Usman was killed on Saturday in a day-long encounter in the densely-populated Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar, marking the first significant gunfight in the summer capital in more than two years. The operation involved a joint effort from the local police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The officials said Usman, who was well familiar with the Valley terrain, was a significant figure in orchestrating numerous terror attacks since his initial activity in the early 2000s.

After a stint in Pakistan, he infiltrated back into the region around 2016-17 and was implicated in the shooting of police inspector Masroor Wani last year.

(With agency inputs)