Five Killed, 30 hurt by held-Kashmir grenade Attack
Pakistan Times Kashmir Desk

SRINAGAR (IHK): A hand grenade attack in Occupied Kashmir on Saturday killed five people and wounding at least 30 more, five of them were critical, police said.

The grenade was into a crowd at a shrine in the town of Kulgam, police said. Kulgam is some 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Srinagar.

Among the dead was a well known local politician, police said, adding that the critically wounded were being moved to a hospital in Srinagar. Both people died on their way to hospital.

A crowd had gathered in a square at a local Muslim shrine to celebrate a recent announcement that Kulgam would become a seat of local government, giving residents access to more services.

The gathering was organized by local opposition politician Sakina Itoo, said Kulgam police officer Altaf Ahmad. A district leader from her National Conference Party and former lawmaker, identified as Ghulam Nabi, was killed and Itoo was lightly wounded by shrapnel, he said.

An earler report had said that in occupied Kashmir, almost 12 persons including a former puppet Minister Sakina Itto and a Police officer were injured in a blast at Kulgam on Saturday.

A report by Kashmir Media Service says that ten civilians and a Deputy Superintendent of Police were also injured in the incident.

Yet, another report by a foreign news agency puts the number of the injured at 20.

The report says A suspected gunmen hurled a grenade into a crowded market in held-Kashmir on Saturday, wounding at least 20 people, many of them critically, police said.

The critically wounded were being moved to a hospital in Srinagar, said the IHK police.●