J A M M U   &   K A S H M I R

36 tourists injured in grenade explosions

Srinagar, May 31 At least 36 tourists were injured, one of them seriously, when suspected militants hurled two grenades, within 15 minutes, on their buses in the Dalgate area here this evening. An injured tourist in a hospital in Srinagar after militants lobbed two hand grenades in tourist vehicles near Dal Lake in Srinagar on Wednesday. — Tribune photo by Amin War

Soldier, 4 militants among 6 killed
Srinagar, May 31
A soldier and four militants were among six persons killed while the police averted a major tragedy in the Kashmir valley overnight. A defence spokesman said a fire-fight ensued at Tral in Pulwama district when troops challenged two militants hiding inside a house.

Azad visits Handwara
Handwara (Kupwara), May 31
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad visited Handwara in the afternoon to console the bereaved families of schoolchildren who lost lives in the boat tragedy in Wular lake. He said the Defence Ministry had ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. The report would be available in one month, he added.

36 tourists injured in grenade explosions
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, May 31
At least 36 tourists were injured, one of them seriously, when suspected militants hurled two grenades, within 15 minutes, on their buses in the Dalgate area here this evening.

However, the police said only 21 were injured in these explosions. The police said of the 21 injured, seven were admitted to Bone and Joints Hospital and 13 to SMHS Hospital, while the seriously injured one was shifted to the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura.

The explosions took place when the two buses carrying tourists from Kolkata arrived in the Dalgate area from Gulmarg this evening.

The first explosion took place at about 5.45 pm at Badyari Chowk, while the second took place 15 minutes later near M A Bridge, about 100 yards away. Partial damage was caused to the buses reports said.

In another incident of grenade explosion, at least 14 labourers from outside the state were injured when militants hurled a grenade towards them at Chhana Khan, Sopore, in Baramula district last night.

Meanwhile, the firefight between militants and security forces erupted again in the Tral area of Pulwama district this afternoon, killing one more militant, a Defence spokesman said here.

Another militant was trapped in a house and the operation to flush him out was going on till the last reports came in. Two militants and a security forces jawan had died in the encounter yesterday, the police here said.

An unidentified militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Bufliaz area of Poonch district today, the police said.

Unidentified militants killed Allah Din after kidnapping him from his house at Thal, Chatroo, in Doda district of Jammu last evening.

Soldier, 4 militants among 6 killed

Srinagar, May 31
A soldier and four militants were among six persons killed while the police averted a major tragedy in the Kashmir valley overnight. A defence spokesman said a fire-fight ensued at Tral in Pulwama district when troops challenged two militants hiding inside a house.

The spokesman said the militants inside the house started firing when asked to surrender by the troops. In the exchange of fire, one militant was killed.

An official spokesman said two militants and a soldier were killed and three others, including two jawans, were injured in the firing which was still going on when the reports last came in.

Sources said militants hurled a hand grenade towards the security forces at Sopore in Baramula district last night. However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the road side, injuring 14 persons. The injured were hospitalised.

Militants kidnapped and later killed Allah Din in his Chatroo house in Doda district of Jammu region last night.

A militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces during a search operation at Morah Topa in Poonch district today.

Sources said the police averted a major tragedy when it detected an improvised explosive device in the washroom of a mosque in Gole Market in the downtown city. The bomb disposal squad was immediately summoned which defused the IED. — UNI

Azad visits Handwara
Tribune News Service

Handwara (Kupwara), May 31
Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad visited Handwara in the afternoon to console the bereaved families of schoolchildren who lost lives in the boat tragedy in Wular lake. He said the Defence Ministry had ordered a court of inquiry into the incident. The report would be available in one month, he added.

He said Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had asked him to announce Rs 1 lakh ex gratia from the ministry to next of those killed in the incident. He also announced Rs 20,000 out of the Chief Minister’s relief fund to the next of those killed in the incident and free ration for six months.

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee had expressed grief over the incident.