M A I N   N E W S

Tata official escapes bid on life

Srinagar, September 10
A senior official of the Tata group of companies Chander Shekher had a narrow escape in a landmine blast at Wusun Kunzer on the Gulmarg road this afternoon while at least one soldier was killed and six others were injured, two of them critically, in another IED blast in the Lolab valley today.

Elsewhere in the state, four soldiers and six militants were among 15 persons killed and 18 others injured since last evening while the security forces scuttled yet another exfiltration bid when they arrested five boys.

An official spokesman said militants detonated a powerful IED at Wusan Kunzer on the Srinagar-Gulmarg road this afternoon around 1 p.m. when some government vehicles were passing through the area. The blast left a Head Constable of Jammu and Kashmir police Nazir Ahmad injured.

However, official sources told UNI that a senior official of the Tata group of companies Chander Shekher, a state guest, was travelling in one of the vehicles which was actually target of the IED.

Mr Shekher escaped unhurt in the blast, sources said and added one guard in the escort vehicle of Mr Shekher was injured.

Official sources said another IED went off at Radnar link road when an Army patrol was passing through the area.

One soldier died on the spot and six others were wounded in the blast. The injured were admitted to a hospital, where the condition of two of them was stated to be critical.

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen has claimed the responsibility for the blast and said more than six soldiers died. The outfit has also claimed the responsibility for yesterday’s Udhampur blast in which six soldiers were killed.

The security forces gunned down three militants, believed to be foreigners, in an encounter at Supernaghama in Kupwara district last evening. A large cache of arms and ammunition was also recovered from the slain militants.

Militants shot dead Mohammad Akbar at Bandipora while another person, Mohammad Shaban Gujri, was killed in Dadgam district this morning. The police recovered the bullet-riddled body of a person at Sogam in north Kashmir this morning, the spokesman added.

He said the Army arrested five youths at Handwara, who were being taken to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) for receiving arms training.

He said militants hurled a hand grenade towards a border security force patrol party at Kupwara. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded without causing any damage. UNI