Hizbul militant injured in Srinagar grenade attack dies

Srinagar: A former Hizbul Mujahideen militant, who had suffered critical injuries when a grenade was lobbed inside a police vehicle which was transporting him to Baramulla this afternoon, has succumbed to his injuries.

Shakeel Ahmad Kasana was the former bodyguard of Hizbul chief Syed Salahudin. He was arrested last year under Section 7/25 of the Arms Act.

Kasana was being shifted by the police to the Baramulla district jail in north Kashmir from the Panthachowk police station in Srinagar, when militants attacked with a grenade near Batmaloo. The four policemen inside the vehicle also sustained injuries and have been admitted to a hospital. They are said to be out of danger.

Militant attacks are on the rise in the Kashmir valley. On June 24, eight army jawans were gunned down by two terrorists on the outskirts of Srinagar, a day before the Prime Minister visited the Valley.

The Army yesterday said that Pakistan-based militant groups have intensified their infiltration attempts along the border and around 300 militants continue to be active on the other side of the Line of Control (LoC), just along the Jammu region.