Anantnag: Twelve civilians, one of them a woman, were injured Wednesday evening in a grenade attack carried out by militants on government forces here in Kakapora area of Pulwama district, health and police officials said.
The grenade exploded in the main chowk of Kakapora at about 5:45 PM when militants targeted a joint party of police and paramilitary forces.
“The grenade was lobbed at the security forces but it missed the target and exploded on the roadside, leaving as many as 12 civilians injured,” a senior police official from the area said.
He said that the injured were immediately rushed to the nearby Primary Health Centre (PHC) for treatment. “All of the injured are stable,” the official said.
Kashmir Reader talked to a doctor at the PHC, who also confirmed that the facility received 12 injured civilians, one of them a non-local from Uttar Pradesh.
“We administered first aid, following which three of the injured were shifted to SMHS hospital in Srinagar, 2 to the Bone and Joint Hospital in Barzulla, and two to the Sub-District hospital in Pampore,” the doctor said.
He said that among the three referred to SMHS, two had injuries to their legs and one of them to his hand. “One of the two referred to B&J hospital had an injury to his leg and another to his hand. The two sent to Pampore had minor injuries but needed X-Rays and other diagnosis to be conducted,” the doctor said.
He added that the rest of the five were discharged from the PHC after treatment. “All of the injured, whether referred or not, are in stable condition,” the doctor said.
The police official identified the injured as Raja Begum, Shabir Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad, Adil Ahmad, Bashir Ahmad Dar, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Habibullah Sheikh, Ghulam Nabi Sheikh, Suhail Ahmad, Abrar Dar and Bashir Ahmad-all residents of Kakapora.
“The resident of UP injured in the attack has been identified as Amir Hussain,” the official said.
Following the explosion, government forces cordoned off the whole area and searches were being conducted to try and nab the attackers when this report was filed.
“A case has also been registered and investigation has been taken up,” the police official said.

Suhail A Shah