One civilian was killed and 32 were injured in a grenade explosion at the main inter-State bus stand in Jammu on Thursday. The blast suspect, affiliated to the Hizbul Mujahideen, was held within hours, the police said.
“The explosion, which took place around 11.50 a.m., left 32 injured and one non-local dead in hospital. Of the injured, 10 were from the Jammu region and 11 from the Kashmir Valley. Two injured remain unidentified,” said Manish Kumar Sinha, Inspector-General of Police, Jammu.
The deceased was identified as Mohammad Sharik, 17, from Haridwar in Uttarakhand. He died of “splinter injuries in the chest.”
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The police said the grenade rolled under a parked bus before it went off with a bang.
Mr. Sinha said CCTV footage showed the suspect, wearing a red jacket and carrying a rucksack, running from the spot. “Within hours, the suspect was arrested at a checkpoint in Jammu’s Nagrota. During questioning, he admitted to the crime,” he said.
The police said Bhat had left the Valley on Wednesday and arrived in Jammu on Thursday morning. “He was on the way back to Kashmir Valley when he was arrested. Preliminary investigation suggests that Hizbul Mujahideen’s commander Farooq Ahmad Bhat alias Umar had tasked him to carry out the attack. Further investigation is going on,” said Mr. Sinha.
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Thursday’s attack was the third such blast in Jammu since May last year. It comes weeks after two communities clashed in Jammu city in the wake of the Pulwama attack on February 14.
“It’s a cowardly act of the miscreants. People of Jammu division need to rise above party and work together in fighting the mischievous elements,” said the Jammu Muslim Front (JMF) in a statement.
Governor Satya Pal Malik announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh for the family of the deceased and ₹20,000 for the injured people.
Mr. Malik convened a high-level meeting at the Raj Bhavan and reviewed the situation.
“It’s a dastardly attack on innocent civilians. This is an act of terrorism, which is a reaction of anti-national and terrorist elements in the State who are losing their grip fast,” said Mr. Malik.
Militant killed
In a separate incident, the police on Thursday said the security forces spotted the body of a militant, hours after a brief shoot-out was reported on Wednesday night.
“The militant was killed at Badra Payeen, Kralgund, in north Kashmir’s Handwara town. He was affiliated to the Jaish-e-Mohammed,” said the police. From the “incriminating materials recovered”, the slain militant was identified as a Pakistani national with code name Anwar, the police added.