One killed, over 30 injured in grenade blast in Jammu

New Delhi: Days after the deadly terror attack in Kashmir’s Pulwama, at least one person was killed and over 30 injured in a grenade blast that rocked a crowded bus stand in Jammu on Thursday.

All the injured were rushed to Jammu’s Government Medical College Hospital. Five of them are critical.

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police informed media that Mohammad Sharik, 17, a resident of Uttarakhand’s Haridwar died due to splinter injuries in the chest.

“The blast occurred at around 12 noon. So far over 30 persons have been brought with splinter injuries,” Sunanda Raina, Principal, Government Medical College Hospital, informed media.

Inspector General of Police (IGP), Jammu, MK Sinha said that someone lobbed the grenade in the bus stand area around noon, causing the explosion.

“The grenade went off under a bus, resulting in the shrapnels being contained to a smaller area. It is unclear if there were people inside the bus,” Sinha said.

The security forces view the grenade attack as an attempt to disturb communal harmony and peace in the city.

So far 12 persons have been detained by the police and one of them is suspected to have carried out the attack. The scene of the blast along B.C. Road was sealed by police and a hunt was on to nab the culprits.

“We are working on all the leads. We are collecting evidence. At least one of those detained is likely to have placed the grenade under the bus. It seems that the grenade was brought from outside and rolled under the bus,” IGP Sinha said.

Two months ago, a similar blast had occurred at the main bus stand in Jammu city. The grenade, however, exploded in the air without causing any damage.

Thursday’s attack comes a week after the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out air strikes on militant outfit Jaish-e Mohammad’s (JeM) biggest terror camp across the Line of Control (LoC) in Pakistan’s Balakot.

The strike was conducted 12 days after the suicide attack by JeM in J&K’s Pulwama in which 49 soldiers of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed.

Day after the February 14 terror attack, Jammu had witnessed bloody protests with agitators vandalising shops and burning vehicles, and demanding that the attacks be avenged.

A curfew was imposed in Jammu for five days.