Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked the security forces to "do everything possible to end this spurt of attacks", following an uptick in violent incidents in the union territory after his election as first UT CM.
Omar's comments came close on the heels of a grenade attack in Srinagar near Tourist Reception Centre which witnesses massive rush of shoppers on Sundays due to a flea market.
More than 10 civilians were injured in the grenade attack which was tossed towards a CRPF bunker near TRC, but missed the target.
"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," Omar Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
Ever since Omar took oath as the first CM of J&K Union Territory in the backdrop of Article 370 abrogation on Aug 5, 2019, the region has witnessed a sudden spurt in militant attacks and encounters between the security forces and militants.
As already reported by ETV Bharat, October alone saw 18 militancy related killings.
On November 2 Saturday, three militants were killed in twin encounters in downtown Srinagar and Anantnag district down south. A search operation was also launched in Bandipora district up north. The encounters were preceded by a targeted attack by militants in central Kashmir's Budgam where two non-local workers were shot at and injured by the suspected militants.
The sudden uptick in the militant attacks in J&K has led the NC to smell a conspiracy with the party president on Saturday blaming “people who were trying to destabilise the government” for the attacks.