Major, 2 jawans among 5 killed, 32 wounded in J

Srinagar, Mar 5 (UNI) In a series of grenade attacks on security forces by militants in various parts of Kashmir today, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) head constable was killed and five other personnel -- one of them a deputy commandant -- besides 27 civilians, including two children, were wounded, police said.

Elsewhere in Jammu and Kashmir, a Major and a soldier were among the four people killed in separate militancy-related incidents across the state today.

In the latest attack, at least two children were wounded when militants fired a rifle grenade towards a hotel occupied by the security forces here, police said.

They said militants fired the rifle grenade towards the Hotel Ikhwan occupied by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) at Munawarabad Chowk, Bishembar Nagar near Khayam here at around 1830 hrs this evening, they added.

However, the grenade missed the intended target and exploded on the roadside, the police said.

As some children were playing cricket on the road, two of them received splinter injuries and were rushed to a hospital here, they added.

No militant outfit has claimed responsibility of for this attack so far.

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 figure of wounded at 30.

In the first incident, militants X X X Eds: here picking up from para six of DR 64 (INSURGENCY-ROUNDUP-KASHMIR).

UNI AG ASM RR RK2015