Srinagar terror attack: Terrorists hurl grenade at tourist centre in Sunday market, 9 injured

At least nine persons were injured in a terror attack in Sunday market in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). According to the initial reports, terrorists hurled a grenade near the crowded Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) in Sunday market in Srinagar, injuring nine. Sunday Market is a weekly market along the road near TRC in Lal Chowk, the heart of Srinagar city.

According to Greater Kashmir, the local media, terrorists lobbed grenades outside the TRC playground which was heavily crowded due to the market. There are no reports of any deaths in the Srinagar Sunday market terror attack.

The video after the grenade attack in Sunday market showed police and paramilitary forces assembled in the area. Officials have said that the police are trying to evacuate the injured. A search operation has been launched to track the terrorists.

The grenade explosion caused panic in the area and sent shoppers scrambling for cover. All the injured persons – eight men and one woman – have been admitted to SMHS Hospital. “All the injured have been rushed to the SMHS hospital for treatment,” an official was quoted as saying. All are said to be in a stable condition.

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the attack on shoppers “deeply disturbing”. He said, “The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks & 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,” Omar Abdullah said.

The attack near the heavily-guarded TRC comes a day after a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) was eliminated by security forces in the Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar.

The LeT commander, identified as Usman, was active in the Valley for several years and was also involved in the killing of Inspector Masroor Wani, a senior police officer said. Masroor Wani was shot dead from close range while he was playing cricket in the Eidgah ground in Srinagar in October last year.

“Usman was the senior most Pakistani LeT commander here,” he said. Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans and two policemen were injured in the encounter. This was also the first major encounter in two years in more than two years.

More details are awaited and will be updated.