SRINAGAR: At least 12 people were wounded when terrorists hurled a grenade in a bustling roadside Sunday market near the heavily guarded Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) in central Srinagar. The explosion triggered panic among shoppers and sent vendors and bystanders scrambling for cover.
The attack followed the killing of a high-ranking Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) during an operation in Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar the day before. Also, it happened just a day before the J&K assembly was scheduled to begin a five-day session, prompting heightened security measures across Srinagar.
This was the first grenade attack at the same spot in two years when an explosion left two people dead and 30 wounded on March 6, 2022. Sunday’s market along Residency Road and TRC Chowk typically draws large crowds from neighbouring districts for its affordable household items and winter clothing, making it a soft target for such attacks.
Police said the grenade was aimed at a security vehicle parked near the TRC, but it missed its target, landing on the crowded road filled with shoppers.
Security personnel and paramilitary forces evacuated the wounded and launched a search operation to locate the terrorists. The wounded were identified as Misba, Azaan Kaloo, Habibullah Rather, Altaf Ahmad, Faizal Ahmad, Umer Farooq, Faizan Mushtaq, Zahid, Gulam Muhammad Sofi, and Sumaiya Jan.
CM Omar Abdullah called the attack “deeply disturbing” and urged security forces to restore a sense of safety for residents. “Headlines of attacks & encounters in parts of the valley have dominated the last few days… There can be no justification for targeting innocent civilians,” he wrote on X.
The grenade attack followed a wave of recent violence across Kashmir valley that has claimed 12 lives since mid-Oct. On Oct 14, terrorists ambushed a military vehicle in Baramulla’s Gulmarg area, killing two soldiers and two civilian porters. Days later, a migrant worker from Bihar was shot in Shopian, and on Oct 20, seven tunnel construction workers were killed in Ganderbal.
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha condemned the Sunday market attack, promising action against those responsible. “Terrorists targeting our citizens will have to pay a very heavy price,” he said, directing security officials to intensify their response to terrorist activities in the region.
J&K Congress MLAs Tariq Hameed Karra and GA Mir also condemned the attack, calling for accountability and stronger security for civilian areas amid the recent surge in violence.