Grenade attack in Sopore: An injured civilian being taken to the hospital.
Highlights
- The victims were waiting at a bus stop when the grenade attack took place
- A critically injured civilian has been rushed to a hospital in Srinagar
- Incident occurred 2 days after grenade attack on CRPF men in Srinagar
Fifteen civilians were injured in a grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Sopore town on Monday, police said. This comes two days after six security personnel were injured in a similar incident in Srinagar's Karannagar area.
The civilians were attacked while they were waiting at a bus stand. One of them had to be taken to a Srinagar hospital in a critical state, news agency PTI quoted police as saying.
Nobody has been arrested in this connection so far.
Security personnel have been on high alert in Jammu and Kashmir ever since its special status under Article 370 was scrapped through a presidential order on August 5. The state will be formally bifurcated into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh -- on October 31 in keeping with a related decision, and security personnel are bracing for heightened terror activity during the transitionary period.
Terrorists had carried out the previous grenade attack on October 26, while a CRPF team was inspecting vehicles at a checkpost. Even earlier this month, at least seven people were injured in Srinagar after terrorists targeted civilians visiting a busy market area.
A report released by the Home Ministry claims that Pakistan-based terrorist groups made 328 attempts to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir in 2018, 143 of which were successful. It also said that 257 terrorists and 91 security personnel were killed in Jammu and Kashmir last year, the highest number of casualties in the state over the last five years.
"Jammu and Kashmir has been affected by terrorist and secessionist violence, sponsored and supported from across the border for more than two and a half decades. Since the advent of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir (in 1990), 14,024 civilians and 5,273 security forces personnel have lost their lives -- up to March 31, 2019," it stated.
Significantly, Saturday's attack occurred a day before a delegation of MPs from the European Union is slated to visit the region.
(With inputs from Agencies)