Seven injured in grenade attack near Srinagar's Lal Chowk; area cordoned off, hunt for suspects on, say police

At least seven people were injured in a grenade attack by suspected militants in the Hari Singh Street Market area of Srinagar on Saturday, police according to NDTV . Three civilians are said to be in a critical condition.

Militants hurled a grenade in Hari Singh High Street Market, which is a few hundred metres away from Lal Chowk, a police official said. The shops in the market were shut but a few vendors had set up stalls in the area, he added. Additionally, the explosion also damaged the windows of a car.

The area has been cordoned off and search operations are underway_._

Postpaid mobile connections were restored in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The attack also comes a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration came out with advertisements urging people not to be afraid of militants and resume normal life.

“Will threat and misinformation prevail or will we take informed decisions on what is best for us? Will we let a few posters and threats push us into not resuming our businesses, into not earning our legitimate livelihood, into not securing a rightful education and secure future for our children, into not letting development bloom for our Kashmir,” said the advertisement printed in local dailies.

Kashmir has been under lock down since the Centre on 5 August revoked provisions of Article 370 which granted special status to the state. Even though the government has gradually eased some of the restrictions, media reports suggest that Kashmir remains under a ‘self-imposed’ lock down as streets remain empty and shops remain shut.

With inputs from agencies