Militants set off a powerful explosion just before Friday prayers in Chrar-e-Shariefshrine in central Kashmir today killing four women and injuring 60 worshippers,mostly women and children, police said.
The ultras hurled a grenade at around 1345 hrs in the premises of the famousshrine of Sheikh Nooruddin Noorani where a large number of worshippers hadassembled for the prayers, they said.
The grenade exploded killing four women and wounding 60 devotees, policesaid, adding no damage was caused to the shrine.
The blast triggered panic among the devotees and police had to fire severalrounds in the air to restore order.
Residents of the town, blaming police for the blast, indulged in heavystone-pelting leading to pitched battles between them and police.
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The protesters alleged an improvised explosive device, wrapped in a polythenebag, was hurled at women devotees from lawns of the under-construction shrine.
Two of the killed women were identified as Gousia of Srinagar and Jana Begumof Pulwama. The condition of six of the injured, including a child, wascritical.
Today's grenade attack was the first major incident at Chrar-e-Sharief aftera fierce gunbattle between militants and army in 1995 destroyed the shrine ofthe sufi saint.
The attack was also the third incident in the past fortnight in the valleywhen unidentified militants targeted innocent civilians.
Earlier, seven people were killed and scores injured in separate grenadeattacks at crowded bus stands in Srinagar and Kupwara.
