Nine people were left injured in twin blasts that took place in the Jammu district of the Jammu and Kashmir region. The incident comes as the Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unite India Rally), led by Congress politician Rahul Gandhi, arrived in Jammu this week.
Senior officials also told Sputnik that the first blast occurred in an old car parked at a local bus stand in the Narwal area of the Jammu district. As panicked locals were coming to terms with the incident and trying to help the injured, 20 minutes later another blast, just 50 meters away, hit Jammu.
Mukesh Singh, additional director general of police, while speaking to media, said the nature was the blast was not yet known and the matter is being investigated. The official also said a massive search operation had been launched.
In this Sept. 9, 2020, file photo, an Indian army convoy moves on the Srinagar- Ladakh highway at Gagangeer, northeast of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir.
© AP Photo / Dar Yasin
In a statement released to the press, the J&K government said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha “strongly condemned the blasts”.
“Such dastardly acts highlight the desperation and cowardice of those responsible. Take immediate and firm action. No efforts should be spared to bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement said, quoting Sinha, who also announced around US $600 in cash relief for the injured.
In another incident, an improvised explosive device was recovered in the Poonch area of Jammu on Friday. Senior administration officials told Sputnik that security personnel in the entire region of J&K are on alert to prevent any untoward incidents.
Security in the region has been put on high alert ahead of the rally and India's Republic Day on January 26. Since the inception of an anti-India insurgency in the late 1980s, separatist militants have carried out multiple attacks on or around the date.
Local authorities are yet to comment on the nature of the blasts or the possible motives behind them. However, in recent months, several senior police officials have told Sputnik that in the Jammu region, militants are attempting to flare up tensions after years of decreasing hostilities.