Jammu: Udhampur on alert after blasts in 2 buses
The two explosions went off on passenger buses despite tight security and a heightened alert in view of the Navratri festival
Two people were injured in an explosion on a passenger bus in Udhampur town on Wednesday night and a similar explosion was reported in another bus on Thursday morning, triggering panic in the area and protests by local residents, a senior police officer said.
Additional director general of police, Mukesh Singh, said: “An explosion took place in a parked bus at around 10:30PM last night (Wednesday night) near a petrol pump at Domail Chowk in Udhampur in which two people sustained minor injuries. Another similar blast took place in another bus parked in old bus stand in Udhampur at 6:00 am today (Thursday morning) wherein no casualty has been reported.”
ADGP Singh said they could not rule the possibility of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) being used in both explosions. “As of now, we can’t say whether RDX was used or not, but it appears that IEDs were used in the twin blasts,” he said.
“We are probing different angles. The buses had come from the same origin and the blasts were similar in nature,” the officer added.
ADGP Singh added that two separate FIRs had been registered in the matter and that an investigation had been launched.
The two injured in the blast were identified as Sunil Singh of Kawya Pringla (Ramnagar) and Vijay Kumar of Jaganoo. Both are undergoing treatment at the district hospital in Udhampur.
Sunil Kumar said the explosion took place as they returned to their bus after dinner. He added the roof of the bus was damaged. “I was sleeping when blast woke me up. I was hit by broken pieces of glasses and was bleeding. Police took me to hospital.”
Protests broke out across Jammu and Udhampur districts over the blasts in the evening with protesters blocking highways and raising anti-Pakistan slogans.
Protesters in Udhampur demanded enhancement of security in and around the town. They lashed out at security agencies for their failure to ensure foolproof security despite the ongoing Navaratri festival and the scheduled visit of Union home minister Amit Shah on October 4.
In Jammu, Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal and Dogra front members held anti-Pakistan protests and called for uncovering those who executed the blasts and ensure their elimination.
Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President G A Mir also strongly condemned the twin blasts and described it as “shocking” and “highly shameful”.
An alert has been sounded by the police and people have been asked to check their vehicles, another officer said.
