Srinagar: Four people, who rushed to a house where a gunfight had taken place in Kashmir's Anantnag district, were injured in an explosion at the site after the firefight ended on Friday morning with the two Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants being killed, officials said.
The incident has triggered anger in the area as people have questioned why the gunfight site was not cleared before leaving it open for the public.
Although there have been instances of civilian deaths due to leftover explosives near gunfight sites in Kashmir, it is for the first time in the recent past that such a high number of civilians were injured in such an incident.
Two militants had been killed during the gunfight that started on Thursday evening following a cordon and search operation carried out by security forces in Sirhama village of Anantnag district. Once the firing stopped, local residents went too close to the site before the security forces had time to check the area for explosives, according to police.
A police spokesperson said the civilians had been advised to stay away as police teams had to check the area for explosives once the gunfight site was sanitised.
“They didn't listen and visited the spot immediately after forces withdrew...and started clearing debris from the house. Some explosive substance went off resulting in injuries to civilians,” the spokesman said.
The injured civilians have been identified as Muhammad Yasin Rather, Shahid Yousuf, Irfan Ahmed Bhat, and Mudasir Ahmed Magray. Yasin and Shahid have been referred to SMHS hospital Srinagar for specialized treatment.
