9 killed in J&K, militants target NC HQ

9 killed in J&K, militants target NC HQ
ENS & AGENCIES

JAMMU\SRINAGAR, JANUARY 21: Militants today blew up a government bus and targeted a security vehicle in Kashmir, killing nine people and injuring 41. They also made an unsuccessful bid to destroy the ruling National Conference headquarters in Jammu.

A state road transport corporation bus carrying civilians and Army personnel was blown up in a powerful landmine explosion near Kreeri at Pattan in Baramulla district around 10 a.m., killing six passengers and injuring 19, an official spokesperson said.

The deceased included two of ten soldiers travelling from their Watergam camp to Pattan, he said, adding that the injured -- 11 civilians and eight Armymen -- were admitted to hospitals. The condition of most of them was stated to be ``serious''.

The bus was on its way to Pattan from Kaw-check village. Around 20 kg of RDX was used in the blast.

In another incident, two civilians were killed instantly and 20, including three policemen, were injured in a grenade explosion in Pulwama town today. One of the injured policemen died later in hospital.

The grenade was hurled by militants towards a security patrol in the area, but it missed its target and instead exploded on the busy road, causing civilian casualties, he said.

Militants also attempted to destroy the ruling National Conference headquarters in Jammu by detonating a bomb near its gate at Residency Road around 7.30 a.m. today. The time-bound explosive device had been planted in a heap of garbage in a bin outside the ruling party headquarters. There were no injuries, the police said.

However, the explosion was so powerful that its bang was heard in most parts of the city. Not only the window panes of the Sher-e-Kashmir Bhawan and nearby buildings including the Indian Airlines office were smashed, but the solar panels installed on the roof top of multi-storyed Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) building were also damaged.

Later, National Conference leaders held a meeting under the chairpersonship of their provincial president, Bodh Raj Bali, at the Sher-i-Kashmir Bhawan. They condemned the militants for trying to `vitiate the peace'.