Srinagar, April 19
Stepping up attacks on political leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, militants today targeted former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah and lobbed a grenade at CPM leaders injuring three of them in Jammu and Kashmir.
Ultras exploded a grenade minutes after the mortorcade of Abdullah passed Sonargund of Badgam district this afternoon while he was on way to Raithan village to address an election rally, official sources said.
The explosive went off in the air without causing any casualty, they said.
CPM’s Anantnag district president Ghulam Nabi Malik, his personal security officer Ashiq Hussain and driver were injured when militants exploded another grenade at Dayalgam in the district targeting their vehicle, the sources said.
Malik was campaigning for party candidate Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami when the grenade attack took place turning turtle their vehicle, the sources said.
The three suffered minor injuries and were discharged from hospital after first aid, they said.
Earlier in the day, ultras fired a rocket propelled grenade towards
CRPF personnel guarding a polling booth at Hanjipora in Rafiabad area of Baramulla district, they said.
However, the explosive missed the target and exploded in a field causing no harm, they said.
The sources said the Border Security Force averted a major tragedy when troops
detected a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) at Sathoora in tral area of Pulwama district in South Kashmir this morning.
The IED was planted by militants on the roadside apparently to target security personnel, the sources said, adding the IED was later defused by experts.
The sources said security forces recovered another IED from a militant hideout during search operations at
Nuzar in Anantnag. later, it was destroyed.
JAMMU: Three terrorists of the Hizbul Mujaheedin outfit, who were to carry out suicide attacks on polling stations to disrupt the Lok Sabha election tomorrow, were killed by the Army early this morning when they infiltrated into Indian territory in Poonch from Pakistan.
According to an Army spokesman, these terrorists were probably tasked to carry out suicide attacks on polling staff and convoys in the Poonch sector where polling officials were camping for conducting tomorrow’s election for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat.
Last night, the troops at the Line of Control (LoC) observed some suspicious movement in a Rangar Nullah, just 5 km from Poonch, through surveillance devices. Around midnight, the infiltrating group was ambushed and eliminated.
The killed terrorists belonged to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and have been identified as Mumtaz, Sikendar Khan and Ransher Manhas. They were in the age group of 22 to 25.
Three AK rifles, 14 AK magazines, three wireless sets, two mobile phones and Rs 1 lakh cash in Indian currency have been recovered from them.
