Kathua: Unidentified militants in an attempt to engineer communal tension hurled a grenade at Jhandi temple in Hiranagar on late Wednesday evening.
The grenade, however, missed the target and exploded on the roadside causing no loss to life or damage to property, said Kathua SSP Shalinder Kumar Mishra. The police have cordoned the area and searches are in progress to track down the militants who appear to have crossed over to this side from across the international border taking advantage of dense fog, he added.
After having failed to disrupt the recently held maiden District Development Council elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the grenade attacks is now the latest plan by Pakistan to provoke communal passions for disturbing the peaceful environment of the Union Territory.
Earlier during the day, police and army troops had seized two pistols along with 70 rounds and two grenades hidden inside the bushes at Dabbi village in Poonch district’s Balakote area of Mendhar. The seized arms and ammunition was kept there by Pakistan based militant handlers, said Poonch SSP Ramesh Angral.
The police were told about it by one of the three militants who were arrested on Sunday, he said, identifying them as Mustafa Khan, as Mohammad Yaseen and Rayees Ahmed. Six grenades were seized from them.
During their questioning, they had told the police that they had been instructed by their handlers in Pakistan to carry out grenade attacks on religious places in the district.
On December 27 night also, police had arrested a militant associate Mohammad Ashraf in Jammu city’s Narwal area and dized from him two hand grenades. Hailing from Mahore area of Reasi district, he too was tasked to carry out grenade attack in Jammu city, police added.
