One dead, 32 injured in grenade strike in Jammu bus stand; attacker tasked by Hizb arrested
Jammu, Mar 7: A grenade explosion rocked the crowded general bus stand in the heart of Jammu city on Thursday killing a teenager and injuring 32 others and within hours a man whom the police said was tasked by terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen to carry out the attack was arrested.
The third grenade attack by terrorists on Jammu bus stand since May last comes just three weeks after the Pulwama terror strike on February 14 that killed 40 CRPF jawans bringing India and Pakistan on brink of war.
The grenade attack was carried out inside the general bus stand area around 11.50 am resulting in the death of 17-year-old Mohammad Sharik and injuries to 32 others including 11 from the Valley, 10 from Jammu and others from outside the state, police said.
Sharik, a resident of Haridwar in Uttarakhand, succumbed to splinter injuries in hospital, police said. The condition of four persons, two of whom underwent surgeries, was stated to be critical.
Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha told reporters that Yasir Javed Bhat, a resident of Khanpora-Dassein village in Kulgam, was tasked by Hizbul Mujahideen district commander, Kulgam, Farooq Ahmad Bhat alias "Umar" to carry out the attack.
Bhat, who had reached Jammu along with the grenade only this morning after he left Kulgam last night, was fleeing back after the attack when he was arrested by alert policemen at Nagrota in the outskirts of the city, he said.
Producing Bhat before the media persons, Sinha termed his arrest as a "major breakthrough".
A parked bus of the state road transport corporation (SRTC) suffered extensive damage in the blast which caused panic among the people.
"The blast occurred on the roadside when there was a huge rush of people. I had come to drop my wife who was going to board a bus to Punjab," said one of the injured, Kuldeep Singh from the Pragwal area of the city.
Singh, who is undergoing treatment along with his wife at Government Medical College(GMC) hospital for injuries, said he felt that somebody hurled something which caused the powerful explosion.
"As soon as we came to know about the grenade blast, the police party swung into action and along with civilians evacuated all the injured and took them to Government Medical College hospital where unfortunately Sharik could not survive despite a surgery," IGP Sinha said.
Immediately after the explosion, people ran for safety and later as the situation returned to normal they evacuated the injured to the hospital.
Police parties along with sniffer dogs and forensic experts rushed to the spot and launched a search operation.
Sinha said special teams were constituted and asked to go into evidence available and work on the leads.
"The teams that were constituted tried assessing from the witnesses as to what they have seen, and the recordings of CCTV camera installed in the area were also seized.
"Based on the oral testimony of the eye-witnesses and the CCTV coverage, we were able to identity a suspect who was wearing Jean jackets and carrying red rucksack," he said.
Sinha said immediately all the checkpoints of Jammu were alerted and asked to look for any person with the given description trying to move out of the city.
"One team led by Sub-divisional police officer Nagrota during checking at Ban toll plaza found this boy who was going out of Jammu and was apprehended," he said, adding he was put to questioning and confessed the crime.
The IGP said he had started from Kulgam with the grenade only yesterday and reached Jammu this morning. "After doing this heinous act, he tried to escape (back)," he said, adding "we are ascertaining his age".
"Whenever there is heightened state of alert, we strengthen checking and frisking but there is always a possibility of someone slipping through and this one seems to be a case like that," the IGP said.
The officer said there was no specific input about such an attack in the city.
"General inputs are always there and the deployments have been made. We are working on the leads all the time whenever we get inputs but there was nothing specific about this," Sinha said.
"Obviously the intention is always to disturb the communal harmony and peace," he said and requested the people to maintain calm.
"We have only carried out preliminary questioning of the accused so far. What was his specific target and motive behind the grenade attack at the bus stand would emerge once the questioning is complete," he added.
Political parties condemned the grenade attack with the BJP pledging to wipe out terrorism and the Congress expressing concern over security preparedness.
Governor Satya Pal Malik directed the administration to provide best medical assistance to the injured.
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.
Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
