Grenade explosion at Jammu bus stand, 26 injured, say police

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Nearly 26 people have been injured, three to four among them critically, in a powerful grenade blast around 12 noon at the busy Jammu Bus Stand in the heart of the old city here on Thursday.

“There is no death in the incident but around 26 people have been injured. Eleven of the injured belonged to Kashmir, eight to Jammu and six others from different states,” Jammu deputy commissioner Ramesh Kumar told HT.

The deputy commissioner, who immediately rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) to monitor the treatment being provided to the injured, said some of the injured were being operated upon. Among the injured were bus drivers, conductors and some passersby.

A police officer said the grenade had been placed under a bus.

“We are working on all the leads. We are collecting the evidence and will hunt down the perpetrators,” a police officer told reporters.

Soon after the incident, police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. Forensic experts were also called in to lift evidence.

Eyewitness Rakesh Kumar said, “There was a big explosion in a bus and the impact was so powerful that the windscreens of three to four other buses were also smashed. Many people were injured but there were three to four persons, who were critically injured. You can see their blood on the spot. There was total chaos and panic after the explosion as people ran to safety. We didn’t rush to the injured fearing a second explosion because a strange noise was coming from the bus on which the grenade was planted. We waited for some time and then went to their rescue. There was no police at the time of the incident.”

“Obviously the intention is always to disturb communal peace and harmony…. We are sure to hunt them down,” a senior police officer said.

This is the third grenade blast in the vicinity in the past 10 months.

Past midnight on December 28, suspected terrorists had hurled a hand grenade near the bus stand police station. No one was injured in this attack.

Earlier on May 24, three policemen and a civilian were injured in a similar grenade attack on the under-construction bus stand along the BC Road. The accused were subsequently arrested.

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