4 Children, Woman Killed in Kashmir Explosion

By Fayaz Wani

Srinagar, July 24: In the first major attack on non-Kashmiri labourers, five persons including four children of a single family were killed and 28 others injured in a powerful grenade explosion in Srinagar on Thursday.

Police sources said that suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade towards a bus carrying non-Kashmiri labourers at Batamaloo, some 3 kms from the summer capital Srinagar. The explosive device hit the bus and exploded with a big bang, causing on the spot death of three persons and injuring 30 others. The injured were taken to the hospitals, where two of them including a woman succumbed to injuries. The doctors attending on the injured have termed the condition of four of them as "life threatening".

Four of the dead were children while another was woman. The deceased were identified as Adil son of Mohammad Afroze; Qayoom son of Mohammad Afroze; Ajoob son of Mohammad Afroze; Khushboo daughter of Mohammad Afroze; and Rubina wife of Mohammad Afroze, all residents of the Indian state of Bihar.

Most of the labourers and artisans coming into Kashmir to earn livelihood belong to the Indian state of Bihar.

The explosion caused panic in the area with people running helter skelter.

Meanwhile, a top police officer said that the attack was not on the Hindu pilgrims. "The attack targeted the non-Kashmiri labourers," he said, adding, "Police have launched investigations to identify the culprits".

He said that police and paramilitary forces have launched a massive operation to track down the militants responsible for the attack.

Today's attack was the first major attack on non-Kashmiri labourers in more than two years. Earlier, in June 2006, nine Nepali labourers were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in south Kashmir.

Fayaz Wani reports on life in Srinagar, Kashmir.