Kashmir blast leaves 1 dead, 16 wounded

Mohammed Mohsen

Srinagar, March 20, 2008:

One person was killed and 16 others were injured in a powerful bomb blast Wednesday evening in Indian administered Kashmir, police said.

The blast took place the only flyover in the summer capital Srinagar.

The injured mostly pedestrians were soon removed to hospitals where one Abdul Hamid from Chadoora succumbed.

Police officials said that the blast was caused due to explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) believed to be planted by militants in an unmanned police picket on the flyover.

The blast ripped through the wall of the flyover sending debris flying into the people and cars below.

Police officials attributed most of the injuries due to flying pieces of concrete.

One lane of the flyover has been blocked for vehicular traffic.

Eyewitness said that the blast caused panic in the entire area.

Window panes of the buildings in vicinity were shattered due to the impact of the explosion.

Security has been beefed up in the city following Wednesday’s blast.

The area where the blast occurred is in the vicinity of civil secretariat and the High Court complex, which is regarded as the high security zone.

The incident came just a day after the police claim that the situation in Kashmir has been effectively brought under control.

Inspector General of Police, S M Sahai Tuesday said frisking and vehicle checking in the business hubs of the city has resulted in 75 per cent decrease in the grenade attacks and civilian killings have been brought down by 85 per cent in Srinagar city.

“The coming months would be incident free,” Sahai had said a day before the blast.

Paramilitary forces and Indian police are fighting an armed insurgency in region since 1989.

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