Kashmir: One killed, 3 injured in grenade attack at Baramulla liquor shop
An employee at a wine shop was killed and his three colleagues injured when suspected militants hurled a grenade at a shop in the high-security zone of north Kashmir’s Baramulla.
The shop had been opened recently, after it was allotted to a resident of Jammu. According to the police, the attackers were veiled and escaped on a motorbike after throwing the grenade.
“At about 2010 hours, two terrorists riding a bike stopped near the newly opened wine shop at Dewan Bagh Baramulla,” the police said in a statement. “The pillion rider wearing a burqa (veil) walked to the window of the said shop and dropped a grenade inside the said wine shop through a port hole window.”
Four employees were injured, and taken to a hospital, where one of them succumbed. Another critically injured employee has been referred to Srinagar for treatment.
The police said the four hail from different parts of Jammu region. The man who died has been identified as Ranjit Singh of Bakra Rajouri, while the injured are Govardhan Singh and Ravi Kumar of Kathua and Govind Singh of Kangra Rajouri. Police sources said Govind Singh is critical.
The Dewan Bagh neighbourhood of Baramulla falls in the high-security zone. The area houses the offices of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police north Kashmir, SSP Baramulla, and the residence of the GoC 19 Infantry Division. It is highly fortified and under 24×7 CCTV surveillance.
The J&K government recently issued many licences for opening of wine shops in the Valley, despite opposition from religious parties and some locals. In fact, even the BJP’s Kashmir unit had expressed concern over the opening of a liquor shop in the outskirts of Srinagar city, and called for its shifting so as not to “hurt the sentiments” of people living in the area.
In the past, militants have often targeted liquor shops in the Kashmir valley.
