At least twelve persons, including women and men, were injured in a grenade explosion in the crowded market on Sunday near the heavily guarded tourist reception centre (TRC) in Srinagar.

Terrorists tossed the grenade from a flyover near the local station of All India Radio (AIR) across the road and escaped from there, a police officer said.

Security forces have launched a massive search operation in the area.

Police sources said that the terrorists might have tried to target a CRPF picket, but the grenade fell in the crowded market in which the locals were injured.

The grenade attack, the first after several months, comes a day after the security forces gunned down a Pakistani top commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Usman Lashkari, in the downtown area of Khanyar in Srinagar.

Having remained peaceful for a couple of years, the capital city of Srinagar was again witnessing terror related incidents as a result of which panic has returned among the people.

Former chief minister and National Conference President, Dr Farooq Abdullah had on Saturday demanded an independent probe into the surge in terror attacks which he said were aimed at destabilising Omar Abdullah’s government in Jammu and Kashmir.

The injured were immediately rushed to a hospital and a joint team of J&K Police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the area. Security forces, along with medical teams, immediately rushed to the scene after the explosion. The injured were shifted to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar.

Reacting to the attack, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on X: “The last few days have been dominated by headlines of attacks & encounters in parts of the valley. Today’s news of a grenade attack on innocent shoppers at the ‘Sunday market’ in Srinagar is deeply disturbing. There can be no justification for targeting innocent civilians. The security apparatus must do everything possible to end this spurt of attacks at the earliest so that people can go about their lives without any fear.”

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack and said: “Such acts of violence are deplorable and only serve to perpetuate a cycle of fear and hatred.”

The J&K Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) Chief, Tariq Hameed Karra condemned the grenade explosion and said: “J&K Police must take effective measures to contain such brutal and inhuman attacks, so that the public can move with any fear.”

J&K People’s Conference President and MLA Sajad Lone said: “This act of violence, intended to instil fear and cause harm, only serves to strengthen the resolve to work towards a safe and peaceful future for every citizen. We stand united against such senseless acts and pray for the swift recovery of those injured.”