Editor survives bid on life

SRINAGAR, Nov 22 (PTI) — The Editor-in-Chief of a local Urdu daily had a miraculous escape when a powerful blast shook his residence at Balgarden here early today.

Mr Ghulam Geelani Qadri, Editor-in-Chief of the daily Aafaq escaped unhurt along with his family when the blast, suspected to be the handiwork of militants, rocked his house in central Srinagar at around 5.10 a.m. an official spokesman said.

The explosion was so powerful that windows and doors of the two-storey house were shaken free of the walls the spokesman said.

The motive behind the attack, the third such incident in two months was not known immediately.

Editor-in-Chief of ‘Srinagar Times’, Sofi Ghulam Mohammad, and his family had a narrow escape when surrendered militants allegedly tossed a grenade inside the Buchwara residence-cum-office on September 26.

This was followed by a grenade attack on the office of daily ‘Uqaab’ at Abi Guzar in the heart of Srinagar on October 14 which left a woman employee injured.

While no one was arrested in connection with the previous attacks, the latest incident has caused panic among journalists who termed it an attack on the freedom of the press.

In other incidents two persons, including a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) were killed and two armymen injured as militants set off a landmine and exploded a grenade in separate incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since last evening.

The JCO was killed and two Jawans seriously injured in a powerful land mine blast suspected to have been triggered by militants at Badyas village in Doda district in Jammu region today, official reports here said.

The reports said suspected militants had laid the landmine on the main road and detonated it when the army vehicle carrying the JCO and jawans reached the spot.

The vehicle was completely damaged in the explosion and the JCO killed instantly.

Two other soldiers injured in the explosion were shifted to a hospital, the reports said.

The body of an NC activist, Abdul Aziz Bhat was picked up by the police from Wagoora area of Ganderbal on the outskirts of Srinagar today, police said.

The police said the victim was shot dead by militants late last night after militants abducted him from his house in the area.

Militants hurled a grenade at a cable operator at Kak Sarai in downtown Srinagar last evening.

The grenade missed its target and exploded on the road, without causing any damage, the police said.

Security forces killed one militant in the Kohistan forest in Baramula district last evening during an operation. One AK-rifle, four magazines, 101 rounds, one wireless and one grenade were recovered from the slain militant.

Security forces detected and later defused an improvised explosive device planted by militants on Bhalessa Gandoh road last evening.

Militants kidnapped one special police officer Zafar Hussain from Chatro area last evening.

Seven killed in accidents

JAMMU, Nov 22 (UNI) — At least seven persons were killed and 45 injured, some of them seriously, in two road accidents in Udhampur and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir today.

An official spokesman told UNI here this afternoon that at least four passengers died on the spot and 25 were injured, some of them seriously, when a bus plunged into a deep gorge at Kishtwar tehsil of Doda district early today.

He said the bus was on its way from Pattimala to Kishtwar when the mishap occurred.

In another bus accident at Gundian village 50 km from Udhampur, at least three persons were killed (four according to PTI) and 20 others injured, nine of them seriously.

The seriously injured were shifted to government medical college Jammu, he said.