The Hindu : National : Militants step up violence in Jammu & Kashmir

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Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

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National

Militants step up violence in Jammu & Kashmir

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR, JULY 3. At least two persons were killed and 52 injured in the stepped-up violence triggered by militants in Srinagar city and Anantnag town today.

The condition of many of the injured was stated to be critical.

Unknown militants detonated an explosive-laden handcart on a main road in the heart of the city in the Dalgate area around 9.15 a.m. killing the two and injuring 29 persons, including two schoolchildren, five college girls and three women.

Aimed at striking at the security force vehicles, which frequent the area, the handcart was brought by militants to the spot in the garb of fruit-sellers. It was blown in the pieces and also damaged an auto rickshaw and windowpanes of the nearby corporate headquarters of the Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

The blast comes four days after police claimed that a Lashkar-e-Taiba module involved in causing blasts and fidayeen attacks in city was busted.

It had links with the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and the Al Umar Mujahideen to carry out coordinated operations.

All the injured were rushed to the hospital where two of them later succumbed to injuries. The condition of five injured was stated to be critical.

Another powerful grenade explosion rocked Anantnag district town, 55 km from here around 1.20 p.m. injuring 23 people, six of them critically.

The explosive was lobbed by militants on a moving army vehicle in the crowded Janglat Mandi area, police sources said.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Kumar, an Army jawan, was killed when a bullet went off accidentally from his rifle and pierced his skull in Jammu city on Friday night, official sources said here today.

He was shifted to the hospital in a critical condition but he succumbed to his injuries.

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