M A I N   N E W S

2 killed in Shopian blast

Srinagar, June 23
Two persons were killed and 48 injured, nine of them seriously, when a powerful grenade explosion rocked Shopian of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir today, official sources said.

An advanced US-made communication equipment recovered from a militant communication centre on display in Srinagar on Monday. — PTI photo

The blast, triggered by militants, took place around 11.15 am near a crowded bus stand in the township, 52 km from here, the sources said.

Two civilians identified as Abdul Rashid Nengroo and Nazir Ahmad died instantly in the blast.

The whole area was immediately cordoned off and the injured shifted to hospital, the sources said, adding that nine seriously injured had been referred to Srinagar.

Meanwhile, five persons, including three of a family, were killed and eight others injured in militant attacks while a major tragedy was averted with the detection of a powerful IED in Kupwara district since last night, the sources said today.

The militants barged into the house of Abdul Ahad Dar at Sogam and fired indiscriminately on the inmates, killing Dar and his son Abdul Rashid and critically injuring four others last night, the sources said.

Dar’s daughter died in hospital.

In a separate incident, two civilians identified as Ghulam Hassan Chopan and Mohammad Yousuf Peer were killed and three injured when they were caught in a crossfire between the militants and jawans at the Gagal forest area in Kupwara today.

In another incident, the militants shot at and critically injured two persons in their house at Keegam.

The sources said a powerful IED was detected by the security forces at Arampora village today. It was defused by experts thus averting a major tragedy.

The security forces shot dead two militants in an encounter at Dachipora Shopain in Pulwama. The encounter ensued after a search party was attacked by the militants.

In a major breakthrough, the security forces have busted a communication network of the militants by seizing an advanced US-made equipment, a defence spokesman said today.

The equipment, used by militant groups for communicating outside the country as well as other districts of Jammu and Kashmir, was seized by the troops in the Nagin area of Srinagar last night, he said.

JAMMU: Militants attacked two high-altitude police posts in Udhampur district, while the security forces busted two hideouts and seized a huge cache of explosives, including 51 mortar shells and 30 kg of RDX, in Rajouri and Poonch districts, sources said on Monday.

A group of heavily-armed militants hurled rifle grenades at Ind and Bhim Mandir posts in Udhampur district last night, the sources said.

Policemen guarding the posts retaliated and the firing continued for five hours intermittently. An operation was on to track down the militants. No casualties were reported in the firing.

A BSF jawan was injured when Pakistani troops opened heavy and unprovoked firing on Indian border outposts along the international border in the Samba sector of this district.

Constable Raj Pal sustained bullet injuries in the incident. — PTI, UNI