15 injured in J&K attack

At least 15 people were wounded in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday when suspected separatist guerrillas threw a grenade at police in a crowded marketplace.

At least 15 people were wounded in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday when suspected separatist guerrillas threw a grenade at police in a crowded marketplace, police said.

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Violence in Kashmir has gradually declined since India and Pakistan began a peace process last year but there has been a spate of attacks in the run-up to elections as militants attempted to enforce a call for a poll boycott.

In the latest attack, suspected guerrillas threw a grenade at a police patrol in a market in Pampore town, south of Srinagar, Kashmir's main city, a police spokesman said.

"The grenade missed the security vehicle and exploded on the road, wounding at least 15 people," the spokesman said.

Pampore in the Anantnag parliamentary constituency, which is due to vote on May 5 in the five-stage elections.

None of the dozen or so militant groups battling Indian forces in the Himalayan region since 1989 claimed responsibility.

Earlier on Tuesday, explosive experts defused a powerful bomb planted near a government building in north Kashmir, security officials said.

Militants have attacked politicians, voting booths and party offices to press their call for an election boycott. The rebels say the vote is no substitute for a resolution of the 15-year revolt against Indian rule in the disputed region.

The revolt has claimed more than 40,000 lives, Indian officials say.

Voting was held in Srinagar on Monday. There was no major violence but turnout was only 21 percent.