The Hindu : National : Ex-Minister escapes bid on life

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 16, 2005

National

National

Ex-Minister escapes bid on life

Shujaat Bukhari

Militants lob grenade at PDP rally at Tangmarg; three killed, over 40 injured

— Photo: Nissar Ahmad

SEEKING COVER: A child and a woman being escorted to safety after a grenade attack on a rally at Tangmarg, near Srinagar, on Tuesday.

SRINAGAR : Senior People's Democratic Party leader and former Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister Ghulam Hassan Mir escaped an assassination bid with a minor injury when militants lobbed a grenade at a public meeting at Tangmarg, about 45 km from here, on Tuesday. Three persons were killed.

Over 40 persons were injured and they have been hospitalised. The condition of Deputy Superintendent of Police Shabir Ahmed who was injured in the attack was critical.

Eyewitnesses said the grenade was lobbed towards the end of the meeting. Many were injured in a stampede that followed the explosion. Mr. Hassan sustained injuries in his leg.

Director-General of Police Gopal Sharma told reporters that according to preliminary reports 13 persons were injured. "But so far there is no report of death," he said. The whole area was cordoned off and a manhunt launched to nab the culprits.

Mr. Hassan was a strong contender for the Deputy Chief Minister post but he was dropped from the PDP's list for inclusion in the Cabinet. Though he has maintained that he is not interested in joining the Azad-led Ministry, it is learnt that all is not well between him and the former Chief Minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayeed.

Tuesday's meeting was Mr. Hassan's first show of strength after the change of Government on November 2. At the meeting, Mr. Hassan said he was hopeful that the Azad-led Government would take the State to new heights of development and prosperity. PDP rebel leader Nazir Khan and Shoaib Lone, son of the slain Education Minister Ghulam Nabi Lone, also addressed the meeting.

Gun battle ends

At Lal Chowk here, security forces on Tuesday killed a militant holed up in a hotel, bringing to an end the 24-hour-long standoff which began with an attack on the Central Reserve Police Force on Monday. A militant moving suspiciously near another hotel was captured. The two were part of a fidayeen (suicide squad) of the Al Mansoorian outfit. With the killing of the militant, the toll in the attack has gone up to five. Two civilians and two CRPF jawans were killed on Monday. Four more security force personnel were injured in the gun-battle, taking the number of those wounded to 17.

Director-General of Police Gopal Sharma announced the end of the operation at a news conference. He said the hotel was searched to ensure no more militants were hiding there. The operation took time, he said, as "we had two objectives — one was to evacuate the civilians safely and then to tackle the militants. We weighed the odds and followed a wait and watch policy." Over 70 civilians were rescued. Mr. Sharma said it was for the first time in the "history of fidayeen attacks" that a militant was captured alive. He has been identified as Aijaz Ahmed Bhat, a Pakistani national, aged about 18.

He had crossed over into the Indian territory two weeks back from Rajwar area of Kupwara district and reached Srinagar only a few days ago.

He had begun his mission after the quake and said he was part of a two-member group. He was trying to escape after dumping his AK rifle and ammunition.

Bhat, according to the DGP, admitted that he was involved in the attack. His accomplice, identified as Furqan of Pakistan, gave a tough time to the forces since Monday and was finally eliminated by a crack team of police and the CRPF in the basement of the hotel.

Life in the entire Lal Chowk remained disrupted on Tuesday in view of the siege laid by the security forces.

Police did not allow any civilian movement in the area.

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