At Valley146;s Ground Zero, more attacks

Even as legislators in Delhi were debating a response to the Kaluchak attack, militant violence returned to the streets of Srinagar, this ti...

Even as legislators in Delhi were debating a response to the Kaluchak attack, militant violence returned to the streets of Srinagar, this time with added vengeance.

Two blasts here, within three hours and a few metres from each other, and two other attacks left at least one person dead and a city back on edge.

One of the injured. Javed Shah

Hizbullah, a lesser known pro-Pak militant outfit, claimed responsibility for the attacks, they were carried out by its Al-madina regiment.

The first blast took place at 3-50 p.m., at a busy city junction a few dozen metres from the Civil Secretariat and the J-K Police chief8217;s office. It left one dead and 12 injured, four of them critically.

The police8217;s preliminary investigations say a middle-aged man was carrying an improvised explosive device in his scooter which exploded as soon as he reached the four-way junction. He was blown up with the blast.

A passenger minibus was also caught in the blast, as were some passersby. 8216;8216;The blast was deafening. I saw the scooter and the man both going up in the air,8217;8217; said Nisar Ahmad, a police constable who was standing a dozen metres away. 8216;8216;I closed my eyes and lay flat on the ground and thought I would surely die. I couldn8217;t believe I was alive.8217;8217;

Although the police is yet to confirm whether the man was a suicide bomber or just a courier, they do believe that the intended target was the Civil Secretariat, the hub of the entire State Government machinery. Dr Zahoor Ahmad, attending to the injured at SMHS hospital, said that four had serious head injuries and were critical. An 11-year old school girl too was hit. This blast was followed by a series of others at 6.25 pm. This time, militants fired five rifle grenades at an army unit at the nearby Tattoo ground, rocking the whole neighbourhood. Although the security forces have cordoned off the area, no damage to life was reported.

Next, at 7.45 pm, militants fired from close range at a BSF personnel on guard duty at Kakasarai. He suffered severe injuries. Within 15 minutes, militants lobbed a greande towards a BSF post at Qamarwari chowk, in which a BSF man and two civilians were injured.

Muzamil Jaleel

Muzamil Jaleel is a Deputy Editor at The Indian Express and is widely recognized as one of India’s most authoritative voices on Jammu & Kashmir, national security, and internal affairs. With a career spanning over 30 years, he has provided definitive on-the-ground reportage from the heart of the Kashmir conflict, bearing witness to historic political transitions and constitutional shifts. Expertise and Investigative Depth Muzamil’s work is characterized by a rare combination of ground-level immersion and high-level constitutional analysis. His expertise includes: Conflict & Geopolitics: Decades of reporting on the evolution of the Kashmir conflict, the Indo-Pak peace process, and the socio-political dynamics of the Himalayan region. Constitutional Law: Deep-dive analysis of Article 370 and Article 35A, providing clarity on the legal and demographic implications of their abrogation in 2019. Human Rights & Accountability: A relentless investigator of state and non-state actors, uncovering systemic abuses including fake encounters and the custodial death of political workers. International War Reporting: Beyond South Asia, he provided on-the-spot coverage of the final, decisive phase of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009. Landmark Exposés & Impact Muzamil’s reporting has repeatedly forced institutional accountability and shaped national discourse: The Kashmir Sex Scandal (2006): His investigative series exposed a high-profile exploitation nexus involving top politicians, bureaucrats, and police officers, leading to the sacking and arrest of several senior officials. Fake Encounters: His reports blew the lid off cases where innocent civilians were passed off as "foreign terrorists" by security forces for gallantry awards. SIMI Investigations: He conducted a massive deep-dive into the arrests of SIMI members, using public records to show how innocuous religious gatherings were often labeled as incriminating activities by investigative agencies. The Amarnath Land Row: Provided critical context to the 2008 agitation that polarized the region and altered its political trajectory. Over the years, Muzamil has also covered 2002 Gujarat riots, Bhuj earthquake, assembly elections in Bihar for Indian Express. He has also reported the peace process in Northern Ireland, war in Sri Lanka and national elections in Pakistan for the paper. Awards and Fellowships His "Journalism of Courage" has been honored with the industry's most prestigious accolades: Four Ramnath Goenka Awards: Recognized for J&K Reportage (2007), On-the-Spot Reporting (2009), and Reporting on Politics and Government (2012, 2017). Kurt Schork Award: From Columbia University for international journalism. Sanskriti Award: For excellence in Indian journalism and literature. IFJ Tolerance Prize: For his empathetic and nuanced reporting in South Asia. International Fellowships: Served as a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley and worked with The Guardian, The Observer, and The Times in London. He has also received Chevening fellowship and a fellowship at the Institute of Social Studies, Hague, Netherlands. Professional Presence Current Location: New Delhi (formerly Bureau Chief, Srinagar). Education: Master’s in Journalism from Kashmir University. Social Media: Follow him for field insights and rigorous analysis on X (Twitter) @MuzamilJALEEL. ... Read More