At least twelve people have been injured in a grenade explosion near the Tourist Reception Centre in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Sunday. 


The explosion occurred in the crowded Tourist Reception Center (TRC) in the Sunday market where many civilians were present at the time of the attack. The explosion caused panic in the area and sent shoppers scrambling for cover. A weekly market is held every Sunday at Lal Chowk in Srinagar, where a large number of people gather. 






According to a report in the Indian Express, the grenade was hurled towards Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel near the TRC. However, the grenade missed the target and hit a street vendor’s cart, resulting in the injuries.


The security forces and medical teams have been rushed to the scene and the injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital. 




Responding to the incident, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, "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."







The Special Operations Group of Kashmir Police has been deployed for investigation and a search operation has also been started to nab the attackers. 


The incident comes a day after a fierce encounter took place between security forces and terrorists in Anantnag and Khanyar of Srinagar in which three terrorists were killed. Among the terrorists killed was a senior commander of Pakistan-based Lashkar, who was hiding in a house in the area to carry out a major incident.