JK: 11 injured in grenade attack in Srinagar
Srinagar (PTI): Terrorists lobbed a grenade at a CRPF bunker near a crowded flea market in the heart of the city here on Sunday, injuring at least 11 civilians, officials said.
The attack, which took place near a heavily guarded complex housing All India Radio and Doordarshan Kendra near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC), comes a day after security forces eliminated a top Pakistani commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the Khanyar locality of downtown Srinagar.
A senior police officer said the terrorists hurled the grenade at the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) bunker near the TRC. "However, the grenade missed the intended target and landed on the roadside, injuring 11 people," the officer said.
The blast took place close to the weekly flea market, popularly known as the Sunday market, which is thronged by thousands. The explosion caused panic in the area and sent shoppers scrambling for cover.
The officer said the attack was borne out of the desperation of terrorists following Saturday's killing of the LeT commander.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the attack.
"The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks and encounters in parts of the Valley. Today's news of a grenade attack on innocent shoppers at the Sunday market in Srinagar is deeply disturbing. There can be no justification for targeting innocent civilians," Abdullah said in a post on X.
"The security apparatus must do everything possible to end this spurt of attacks at the earliest so that people can go about their lives without any fear," he added.
The Jammu and Kashmir Congress called for measures to curb such attacks.
"It is deeply disturbing to learn about the unfortunate and ghastly incident of a grenade attack on shopkeepers," Jammu and Kashmir Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra said in a statement.
"Jammu and Kashmir Police must take effective measures to contain such brutal and inhuman attacks so that the public can move freely and without any fear," he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
