Ex-MLA among 5 killed, 40 hurt in Kashmir blast

Srinagar, Jul 8: A former Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ghulam Nabi Dar was among five people killed and 40 others, including a former minister of National Conference (NC) injured in a grenade blast today at Kulgam town in Jammu and Kashmir, two days after it was declared a district headquarter.

Official sources said unidentified militants hurled a hand grenade on an NC procession near a shrine at Kulgam at 1135 hours.

The grenade exploded on the road causing injuries to more than 40 people.

The injured included former minister Sakeena Itoo, MLC and other senior leaders of the NC, the main opposition party in the state.

The injured were rushed to hospital where one was declared brought dead. The condition of two others was critical, sources said.

Sources in the SMHS hospital said former NC MLA from Kulgam, Ghulam Nabi Dar, also succumbed to his injuries. Three injured also died in the hospital.

The NC had arranged the rally to celebrate the district status of Kulgam.

Kulgam is one of the new eight districts created in the Jammu and Kashmir recently by the government.

State secretary of the Communist Party of India (M) Mohammad Yousuf Targami has strongly condemned the attack on the procession.

He said those responsible for the attack could not be friends of the people of the valley.

Appealing to the people to single them out in the society, he said such attempts only showed the frustration of the elements who wanted to derail the peace process.

Mr Targami said people were fed up with violence and wanted peace and prosperity.

UNI

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