ONE PERSON was killed and 15 others, including two women and an eight-month-old boy, were injured in what the police said was a “low intensity explosion caused by an IED” set up by suspected militants at a crowded junction in J&K's Udhampur town on Tuesday afternoon. Sources told The Indian Express that a previously unknown militant outfit, United Liberation Front, has claimed responsibility for the blast, which marks the first terror attack in the town, located in the Jammu region, in seven years. Officials identified the deceased as Jugal, a local resident in his 30s, but did not provide any further details. They identified the two injured women as Anita and Sushma Devi, and the infant as Varun, the son of Jugal. All the injured are local residents, officials said, except for a 25-year-old man identified as Hira Lal from Rajasthan. 🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️ Sources said the blast took place around 12.15 pm at the busy Slathia Chowk near the Tehsil office where roadside vendors were selling various items, including vegetables, on carts. The injured were rushed to the district hospital where Jugal succumbed to injuries, they said. Sources said Jugal, a dholak player, had brought his son to the town for treatment when they were caught in the blast. ADGP (Jammu zone), Mukesh Singh, visited the site along with other senior officers from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and CRPF, and bomb disposal experts. ADGP Singh told reporters later that a “preliminary examination of the blast site suggests it was a low intensity explosion caused by an IED”. “However, a careful and minute examination of the site by forensic experts will reveal more facts.the investigation is in progress. All the injured are out of danger,” he said. In 2015, Pakistani militants had attacked a BSF convoy along the Jammu-Srinagar highway near Samrouli in Udhampur killing two personnel. While one militant was shot dead, another was captured alive.
