Three policemen injured in Srinagar grenade attack

At least three cops were injured when militants lobbed a grenade at a police party in Srinagar on Thursday.

Reports said militants hurled a grenade at a police party near Zero Bridge injuring an assistant sub-inspector and two traffic policemen. The injured policemen were immediately shifted to a hospital. The injured have been identified as ASI Iqbal Singh, Haris Manzoor and Sonaullah.

SSP Srinagar Imtiyaz Ismail Parray confirmed the attack and injuries to the policemen. Soon after the attack, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a hunt to nab the attackers.

Militants have been attacking security forces with grenades frequently since 2017, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and fear, like the early 1990s when they were common occurrences. Thousands of people have been injured, maimed and crippled for life in the almost three decades of conflict in the Valley because of grenade attacks.

“And if the attacks from last two years is an indication, it is that militants have revived the strategy of lobbing grenades at security forces and on the roads. Throwing grenades at busy places is either aimed to provoke the security forces to fire indiscriminately or create a fear among them that they are vulnerable to such attacks,” a senior police officer said.

“The use of grenades also allows the attackers to go incognito in the crowd, without being detected or identified. The grenades are lobbed mostly by upper ground workers of the militants, which makes it even more dangerous,” he added.