PM in town, militants kill one, injure 20 in blasts

Srinagar, May 24 (UNI) Militants killed a political activist and caused a series of blasts injuring 20 people, including four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel today when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was in the town to chair the two-day Round Table Conference.

However, security forces and police averted two major tragedies when they detected and later defused two powerful Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted by militants in the valley.

Official sources said militants hurled a hand grenade at the security forces at Zadibal this evening causing injuries to two police personnel and three civilians. The injured were admitted to hospitals.

Militants today gunned down an activist of PDF, at Badgam in the central Kashmir early this morning and in another attack, shot at and wounded one Shakeel Ahmad at Kulgam, sources said.

In seperate grenade attacks on CRPF bunkers, the militants injured a jawan and three civilians at Saraf Kadal, while two jawans and eight others were injured at down town Qamarwari.

The injured were hospitalised, they said.

Militants also lobbed a hand grenade towards a CRPF patrol at Khanabal on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway causing injuries to one CRPF jawan.

An alert boy today averted a major tragedy when he detected a live hand grenade in a class room at Dooru in south Kashmir. The bomb disposal squad was called to defuse it.

Security forces and police, during routine searches, noticed bags containing IEDs at the general bus stand at Anantnag, about 50 km from here, and at Khawaja Bagh near flood gate in Baramulla.

The entire area was cordoned off at the bus stand which however was deserted due to a strike.

Sources said had the IEDs not been defused, it would have led major loss of life and property.

UNI BAS SB KN2056