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| Blasts rock Srinagar on the eve of Ansari visit | | Shopkeer dies in grenade attack at Dalgate, Hizb ultra in IED blast at Lalbazar | | Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR, Jun 19: The summer capital today witnessed militant violence after a long pause of normalcy when a shopkeeper died in a grenade attack at the tourist hub of Dalgate late this evening and a militant was blown into pieces in an accidental explosion in Lalbazar area late last night. Both the incidents occurred on the eve of the Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit on occasion of the convocation of the University of Kashmir.
Informed sources told Early Times that a Hizbul Mujahideen militant, namely Firdaus Ahmed Dar S/o Ali Mohammad Dar R/o Onta Bhawan (Soura), presently living at Shuhama Alasteng, was blown into pieces in a powerful explosion when he was fabricating an improvised explosive device (IED) in Lalbazar area, close to the University of Kashmir campus, at 10.40 p.m last night. Sources said that Firdaus Ahmed Dar, simultaneously working as a telephone linesman in University of Kashmir, was making the bomb alongwith his brother-in-law, namely Riyaz Ahmed Bhat S/o Abdul Ahad Bhat R/o Omar Colony Lalbazar, at the latter’s two-storeyed shopping complex. One Ghulam Mohammad Ganai of Onta Bhawan was also at work.
While Firdaus Ahmed Dar died on spot, Riyaz Ahmed Bhat and Ghulam Mohammad Ganai sustained critical injuries. Police rushed to the spot, recovered the dead body and evacuated both the injured to SKIMS. Critically wounded, Ganai was battling for his life at an ICCU at SKIMS this evening. Sources said that during the search operations late last night and today, Police recovered one live IED, one latest variant of AK-47 rifle as also one bullet-proof vest. Even as residents said that all the three were former and released militants of Hizbul Mujahideen, SSP Srinagar, Syed Ahfadul Mujtaba, maintained that they had been all working for their guerrilla organization. He confirmed that Firdaus was also working as an employee of the University of Kashmir.
Sources said that Police were looking for wireless sets and mobile phone-sets of the three militant operatives which could help to reveal their planning, target of the IEDs being fabricated as also identity of their associates. Police were also in search of a Handwara resident and plumber besides some Biharai labours who had been putting up at the same complex but were missing since last night.
Accidental IED blast, that happened in close vicinity of the University of Kashmir and exposed a junior employee of the University as a militant of Hizbul Mujahideen, has put the security and intelligence agencies on tenterhooks. Recovery of a bullet-proof vest from the spot and the fabricator turning out to be an employee of the University of Kashmir, has taken the government agencies aback as the explosion has occurred a day before Vice President Hamid Ansari’s arrival on the campus. Ansari is scheduled to be the chief guest at the University convocation at Hazratbal tomorrow alongwith Governor N N Vohra and Chief Miunister Omar Abdullah. Many of the officials sounded sure that the IEDs were being fabricated to target the VVIPs.
SSP Srinagar said that an unidentified militant lobbed a hand grenade near Sultan Bakery at the tourist hub of Dalgate at 9.30 p.m tonight. It exploded on the road, killing a 50-year-old vegetable vendor, namely Abdul Salam Sheikh S/o Ali Mohammad Sheikh R/o Abi Karpora. He said that three local persons sustained minor injuries. SSP said that no specific target of the grenade attack was identifiable. While saying that all three injured had been rushed to a hospital, SSP insisted that none of them was a tourist or Police/armed forces personnel. He said that a private minibus had suffered some damage in the blast at Dalgate.
Srinagar has witnessed today’s militant violence, including an accidental blast, after months of normalcy in the Valley. In the beginning of last year, militants had caused an IED blast on a flyover near Jehangir Chowk. However, in the wake of a mass uprising over the controversial allotment of land in favour of Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board, militants had vanished and created space for street demonstrations of the common people since middle of the last year.
Meanwhile, authorities today neutralized Hurriyat (G) chairman Sayed Ali Shah Geelani’s call of a mass march to Baramulla with imposition of prohibitory orders. Reports said that Geelani had not called for a shutdown but shops and government offices remained closed in several localities and commercial transport was also off the road. Detained at a forest rest-house at Cheshma Shahi, Geelani had asked the Kashmiris to march to Baramulla in order to register a massive protest against the “rape and murder” of two women in Shopian last month. He has already called for a total shutdown in the Valley on June 20th.
Reports said that thin demonstrations turned violent at several places in Srinagar, Baramulla, Sopore, Bandipore and few other places. Youngsters shouted anti-India and pro-Azadi slogans and indulged in stone pelting on Police and CRPF at several places. However, not more than six civilians sustained minor injuries in stone pelting and the retaliatory Police action.
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