An infant was killed and six family members of a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were wounded when an explosion ripped through his house in Rajouri district. Though there was no official word about the nature of the blast, the family said a grenade was tossed by assailants on the BJP leader’s house in main town.
Of the seven people injured initially, an infant believed to be the nephew of BJP leader Jasbir Singh, has succumbed to the wounds at a hospital in Rajouri. Another family member is currently critical.
The house was targeted at the Khandli bridge Chowk, which is in the heart of Rajouri town on late Thursday evening.
Singh’s family and police sources said a grenade was lobbed at the 36-year-old leader’s house when the families were sitting in the compound of the house. There was no word available from police about the nature of the blast. A forensic team was seen collecting the samples from the spot.
Witnesses heard a loud blast and soon rushed to Singh’s house. They saw the family members in a pool of blood and rushed them to the hospital. In the meantime, a police party headed by DIG Rajouri-Poonch range Vivek Gupta and SSP Rajouri Sheema Qasba reached the hospital.
Police ensured the injured reached the hospital smoothly and were attended to by the doctors and paramedics at the hospital.
The explosion took place at around 9.25 pm on Thursday in the Khandli bridge crossing. The BJP leader’s sister, who rushed to the hospital, maintained his brother was provided no police protection.
The father of the BJP leader was seen questioning Gupta about why was security ‘lax’ in Rajouri township when Independence Day was only days away, while the DIG tried to pacify him and handle the crowd that had gathered there to raise slogans against the administration.
The incident has triggered a lot of tension in the area and police was trying to deploy its men in sensitive areas of the township.
In view of Independence Day, the police and army had already been on high alert, especially after their personnel had killed two militants, including a Pakistani, in the Thanamandi area of Rajouri district just last week.
Since then search operations have been mounted in the entire range. The two militants, according to police, were part of a four-member group that had infiltrated into the district from across the Line of Control.
Sanatan Dharam Sabha, a local Hindu organization, has given a bandh call for Rajouri on Friday to protest against the attack. The Sabha has asked police and administration to find out the assailants and bring them to justice.
On Wednesday, Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh had visited Rajouri to review security situation and said that some militants’ movement was detected in Rajouri and Poonch area.
The attack in the township comes at a time when Army, CRPF and Police are maintaining cordon at Upper Panghai forest in Thannamandi for past one week. Two militants were killed in the area and the forces are searching for their third associate.
The three militants, one of whom hailed from South Kashmir’s Shopian district, were on way to South Kashmir from Pir Panjal mountains after infiltration from Pakistan when they were intercepted by the security forces.
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