Grenade blast in Jammu: Satya Pal Malik announces Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to kin of deceased, Rs 20,000 each to those injured

Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik, on Thursday, announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased and Rs 20,000 each to those injured in the grenade attack at the bus stand that took place earlier on Thursday. “A 17-year-old boy, a native of Uttarakhand succumbed to his injuries while 32 were injured in a grenade blast at Jammu bus stand,” said police. The injured have been admitted to Government Medical College Hospital and the police have cordoned off the area, which comes exactly three weeks after the terror attack in Pulwama. [caption id=“attachment_5600381” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik. PTI[/caption] Malik condemned the attack and expressed deep shock and anguish on the cowardly attack at the Jammu bus stand. He conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family and also wished for the speedy recovery to those injured. The Governor also directed the administration to provide best medical assistance to the injured in the attack and called upon all the concerned agencies to ensure that those responsible for this “dreadful” act are brought to justice and law and order is maintained in the state. “Sad to inform that Md Sharik s/o Intijar R/o Toda, Kalyanpur, Ahatmal, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, age 17-year succumbed to the injuries that he suffered in the grenade blast at Jammu bus stand on 7.3.19, (sic)” tweeted Inspector General of Police, Jammu. It is the third grenade attack by militants in the bus stand area of the city since May, 2018. Taking cognizance of the grenade blast, Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre said that forces have been given a free hand to take necessary steps. Earlier on Thursday, Inspector General of Police, Jammu, MK Sinha told media, “It was a grenade explosion; it has caused injuries to approximately 18 people and all were shifted to the hospital”. “Seems like the grenade has been launched from outside. It possibly had rolled beneath a bus injuring many people”, he had added. One of the eyewitnesses, Prince Sharma told ANI, “I had just parked my bike when I heard a loud sound. I went to the spot of the explosion and saw about a dozen people were badly injured.” The incident comes a week after the Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out air strikes on the terror camp of Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM) in Pakistan’s Balakot and three other locations. The JeM claimed responsibility of the 14 February Pulwama attack, which killed over 40 CRPF personnel.