Three arrested for Feb 2 Srinagar grenade blast

Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, Srinagar SSP Haseeb Mughal said the three men — identified as Naveed-ul-Lateef Padroo and Shakeel Ahmad Band of Pulwama and Shamshad Manzoor of Shopian — were identified as “active cadres of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM)”.

Police said Band told them during questioning that he is related to three-time legislator and former PDP leader Mohammad Khalil Band, who switched to National Conference last year. Khalil Band has also been a minister in two governments, and that he stayed in his government quarters for some time.

“During our questioning, the boy has said that he stayed at Tulsi Bagh quarters. Since his (Khalil’s) accommodation has been used and he (Shakeel) did the recce while staying there, we will call him (Khalil) for questioning,” Mughal said while speaking to reporters after the conference.

When The Indian Express reached out to Khalil Band for comments, a person who identified himself as a worker, answered the phone. “He is unwell and can’t talk,” he said.

During the conference, Mughal said Naveed was pursuing coaching for NEET exams in Srinagar and had scored nearly eighty per cent in his class X examination. He added that it was Naveed who had lobbed the grenade on Sunday at Lal Chowk.

The police said during the investigation, they found that the trio were connected “with terrorists across the border using internet and VPN (Virtual Proxy Networks) and on directions of Pakistan-based terrorist Shaheen, they were extending the terror network in the Valley.”

“The trio conspired to carry out the attack in Srinagar and obtained a grenade. On February 2, the trio lobbed the grenade at Pratap Park. The purpose of their activities was to derail activity picking up across the Valley and to create sense of terror among the general public,” said Mughal.

He also appealed to parents in the Valley to be more vigilant about their children. “If students are staying here for tuitions, parents need to check their mobile phones and also their friends circle,” he said, adding that they are investigating if the trio were involved in other attacks as well.