CRPF head const killed; Dy Comdt among 30 wounded in Kashmir

Srinagar, Mar 5 (UNI) A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) head constable was killed and five other personnel -- one of them a deputy commandant -- besides 25 civilians were wounded in two separate grenade attacks across the Kashmir valley today.

CRPF spokesman Dilip Singh Ambeesh told UNI that head constable G Kamat of the Force's 122 battalion, was killed in a grenade attack near a shrine at Khanyar in the downtown city this afternoon.

He said in all 21 people, including five CRPF men, were wounded in the two grenade attacks by the militants at Pulwama in south Kashmir and downtown Srinagar.

While the banned Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) claimed responsibility for both the grenade attacks, the Al-Madina militant outfit also owned the Srinagar blast.

Official sources, however, put the number of wounded at 30.

In the first incident, militants hurled a hand grenade towards the vehicle of the CRPF's 54 battalion near a bus terminal in Pulwama, about 30 km from here, this afternoon, the sources said.

The grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, causing injuries to at least 25 people, including two CRPF jawans, they added.

The wounded were shifted to the Pulwama district hospital. Four critically injured were later referred to a hospital here.

In another attack, militants hurled a hand grenade towards a CRPF picket near the shrine of Dastgeer Sahib at Khanyar chowk in the downtown area of the city at around 1600 hrs this afternoon.

The grenade hit the picket, causing injuries to four CRPF personnel, the spokesman said.

CRPF's 122 battalion Deputy Commandant D N Mishra, sub-inspector Vijay Kumar, head constable G Kamat and jawan Lokhand were wounded in the attack, he added.

The wounded were admitted to a hospital here where the Head constable succumbed to injuries, the spokesman said.

JeM spokesman Abu Padama telephoned the local media here to claim responsibility for both the attacks.

However, the Al-Madina militant outfit also called up the media organisations here to claim responsibility for the attack at Khanyar here.

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