The Hindu : Front Page : Seven injured in blast

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005

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Front Page

Seven injured in blast

By Shujaat Bukhari

SRINAGAR APRIL 5. Two hours after the Army defused two powerful improvised explosive devices at Palhalan on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road, militants set off a bomb on the same road at

Hanjiwara in Baramulla district. Seven persons were injured.

Despite the increased security from Srinagar to the last point along the Line of Control, militants triggered a landmine at Hanjiwara near Pattan when workers were busy repairing the road. "The mine, planted somewhere near the road, went off and seven people, mostly workers, were injured," a police officer said. Two of the seriously injured persons were shifted to hospital in Srinagar. The Border Security Force has cordoned off the area. This is the first major incident on the road.

Tragedy averted

Earlier, troops averted a major tragedy on the same road near Palhalan when a routine Road Opening Party of the Army detected two IEDs planted near the road. Traffic on the highway was stopped and the bomb disposal squad defused the mines. For more than two hours scores of vehicles were stranded on the road. "But we successfully defused the two IEDs meant for a security forces convoy," said a police officer adding, "The mines were very powerful. They weighed 70 kg and 60 kg. The troops have averted a major tragedy."

Elsewhere in the State, two soldiers were killed in a gun-battle with militants who were trying to infiltrate the Indian side from Pakistan, while three militants were shot dead in separate shootouts, police said.

In Srinagar, the State Government has lit up important installations, including the Chief Minister's residence, to celebrate the opening of the historic Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

The roads in the city have been repaired, the walls painted and colourful banners put up along the main streets.

Threat renewed

The militants opposing the bus service renewed the threat they issued on March 30. The four militant groups, Al-Nasireen, Save Kashmir Movement, Al-Arifeen and Farzandan-e-Millat said the two bus drivers and the passengers would "writhe in bloody pain" if they tried to cross the Line of Control.

"We have collected the complete bio-data of both the drivers of the State Road Transport Corporation. They are warned not to play with their lives by driving these buses," a joint statement issued by them said.

"These people can cross the international border to meet their relatives. They should not be rigid in crossing through the LoC or else they have will have to writhe in bloody pain," they said.

The groups have asked the passengers to take the Wagah border route to meet their relatives instead of the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road.

However, like on March 30 and April 2, the joint statement issued was not signed.

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