Grenade attack in Bijbehara: 2 CRPF men, boy injured

SRINAGAR, Nov 28 :Two CRPF men and a civilian were injured when unidentified persons hurled a grenade towards the CRPF men near Jablipora Chowk at Bijbehara on Srinagar-Jammu national highway today.

After the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and started search operation.

Reports said that unidentified persons at around 5 PM threw a grenade towards the CRPF men who were on routine duty on highway in busy Bijbehara market. “Two CRPF men and a 13 year old boy were injured in the attack,” reports and officials said.

Injured CRPF were identified as VNS Redy and Ram Divas Gojri of 19 battalion. The injured boy was identified as Omar Habib of Bijbehara.

One of the CRPF man and the boy who were critically injured were shifted to SMHS for specialised treatment where as the other CRPF man was being treated at Anantnag hospital.

Eyewitnesses said that the attack created chaos in the busy Bijbehara market. “As the attack took place, shopkeepers downed their shutters and ran for safety. The traffic movement on the highway also came to a halt for more than an hour,” said the eyewitnesses.

After the attack, police, army and CRPF cordoned off the area and started searches to nab the grenade throwers.

Besides, frisking of the pedestrians, the security men, reports said, were also seen conducting searches of the vehicles moving from different directions.

Heavy traffic jams were witnessed on the highway after the attack and subsequent security measures.

A police spokesman in a statement in Srinagar said, “A CRPF jawan Ram Chand and a civilian were injured in a grenade blast at Arwani Chowk in the jurisdiction of police station Bijbehara. Both the injured were shifted to the hospital for treatment. Bijbehara police has registered a case in this regard and the investigation has been started.”

The spokesman did not mention as to who carried out the attack. However, a police official in south Kashmir said preliminary investigations indicate that the attack was carried out by militants.

“They wanted to target CRPF men and lobbed the grenade,” he said. Bijbehara used to witness such attacks on security and police vehicles in the past.