Tral: Three civilians were killed and nearly 30 injured, including policemen, when an unidentified person hurled a grenade on the cavalcade of a state minister in Tral of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday.The locals said the grenade was hurled at a cavalcade of Roads and Building Minister, Nayeem Akhthar who was there to inaugurate a project in town.
The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital. The victims have been identified as Pinky Kaur, a teenage girl and a student of MA in Islamic University of Science and Technology (IUST), Gh Nabi Trag and Mohammad Iqbal Khan. , Ghulam Nabi Trag, and Pinty Kour daughter of Ishpal Singh of Chattargam Tral.
Pinty Kour D/O Ishpal Singh of Chattergam Tral was waiting for the bus when bus stand rocked with blast. Another slain Ghulam Nabi Trag was the second person in his family who became victim of militancy. One of his sons was reportedly abducted by unidentified gunmen in 1991 and never returned home.
A police official said that militants hurdled a grenade at Bus Stand Tral in the jurisdiction of Police Station Tral, Awantipora, resulting in on the spot death of two innocent civilians who were identified as Pinky Kour daughter of Ichpal Singh resident of Chattrogam and Ghulam Nabi Trag son of Ghulam Ahmad Trag resident of Tral-e-Payeen and injuries to 30 others.
The injured included 07 CRPF men, 02 policemen and 21 civilians.
“All the civilians were shifted to SDH Tral where from 16 civilians and 02 CRPF men were discharged while rest of the injured were shifted to Srinagar hospital.”
“Terming the use of pellets as reported in by some social media as totally baseless, SP Awantipora Shri Zahid Malik said that no pellet was fired, however some shots were fired in air to prevent any further attack. He said that the forces showed maximum restrain during the incident,” the spokesperson said.
Local sources said that militants first hurled a grenade towards the Nayeem Akhtar’s cavalcade and later opened fire.
Many vehicles part of the cavalcade including the vehicle of PDP legislator Mushtaq Ahmed Shah also were hit by bullets, they said. Thirty others, including seven CRPF troopers, were wounded in the explosion, they said.
Some of the correspondents present in the Bust Stand had a miraculous escape.
Shortly after the attack, government forces rushed to spot to assess the situation while injured persons were shifted to Sub-District Hospital Tral where from some of them were referred to Srinagar hospital.
Locals who staged a protest outside Sub-district hospital Tral alleged that shortly after the grenade blast, Forces fired pellets resulting in the injuries of civilians, a charge refuted by police.
Police identified some of the injured as Ghulam Nabi Naik s/o Ghulam Rasool R/o Trali payeen, Sajad Ahmed Zarger s/o Ghulam Hassan r/o Trali payeen, Ghulam Mohiudin Lone s/o Ghulam Hassan r/o Khasipora, Ghulam Hassan Dar s/o Habibulla r/o Nambalbal Pampore, Mushtaq Ahmad Sheikh s/o Ama Sheikh r/o Trali payeen, Manzoor Ahmed Reshi s/o Gh Rasool r/o Trali payeen, Javid Ahmed Zarger s/o Gh Hassan r/o Trali payeen, Reyaz Ahmed Naik s/o Muhammad Yousuf r/o Trali payeen, Chandani kour d/o Paramjeet Singh r/o Gadpora, Karamjeet Singh s/o Babu singh r/o Chatergam, Shairoo Singh s/o Babu singh r/o Chatergam, Shahid shabir s/o Ghulam Nabi r/o Kharpora Shahabad, Superinending Engineer R&B Showkat Ahmed, Crpf constable Bipin kumar 180/bn, Sgct.Shabir Ahmed 456/Awt, Ct Mohd Abid 558/Awt, Ghulam Nabi Trag s/o Resh joo r/o Trali payeen, Reyaz Sheikh s/o Juma Sheikh r/o Diver Tral, Zaiba Begum w/o Abdulla Khan r/o Handoora, and Muhammad Iqbal Khan r/o Tral.
Director General of Police (DGP), Dr S P Vaid said that a rifle grenade was fired from a distance which hit the rare side of the motorcade of the minister near general bus stand, Tral.
He said a senior police officer later escorted the minister to safe place.
Dr Vaid said two civilians were killed and five others were injured. A Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dy SP) and three CRPF personnel besides a senior engineer were also injured in the grenade blast.
Naeem had gone there to lay foundation stone of a big project when the attack took place. He was going to Mandoor from Chandergam when militants carried out the attack.
It was a militant attack, Dr Vaid said adding the outfit behind the attack was being identified.He said adequate security forces and state police personnel had been deployed in the area for the visit of minister. However, he said, the attack was carried out from a distance by firing rifle grenade. Dr Vaid said senior police and security forces officials are monitoring the situation there.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and others while condemning the Tral attack expressed sympathies with the bereaved family.
Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has strongly condemned the grenade attack at Tral Thursday in which two civilians were killed and many were injured including an SE and Executive Engineer of R&B Department.
The Chief Minister said it is unfortunate that the attack took place when a Minister had gone to the town to assess the development needs of the area which has remained neglected for decades. She said the vicious cycle of violence which unfortunately has engulfed the State for three decades now needs to be broken to stop the bloodshed and provide a breather to the people who have been choked by it. “How long are we going to suffer like this on human, developmental, economic, educational and social fronts,” she said and added that we shall have to ponder over for how long this senseless bloodletting is going to consume us. Mehbooba Mufti conveyed her sympathies with bereaved families of those killed and also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Condemning the killing of civilians in the grenade attack in Tral township, Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh Singh termed the attack as cowardly act and frustration of elements inimical to peace to stall development activities in Kashmir.
Dr Singh termed the attack on civilians as an act against humanity and people of Kashmir.
He expressed sympathies with the families of deceased and directed the officials to provide best healthcare to the injured.
