Teenager Killed, Over 30 Injured as Blast Rocks Busy Bus Stand in Jammu; Grenade Thrower Arrested

A teenager was killed and 32 others were injured Thursday in a grenade attack by suspected terrorists in the crowded SRTC bus stand area in the heart of the city.

Police said one suspect named Arhaan, from Kulgam area of Kashmir, has been arrested for lobbing the grenade based on the CCTV footage. Officials are still ascertaining if this was a lone wolf attack or if the accused belongs to some militant outfit. 

This was the third grenade attack by terrorists in Jammu bus stand since May last year, viewed by security agencies as an attempt to disturb communal harmony and peace in the city.

Mohammad Sharik, 17, a resident of Hardiwar in Uttarakhand, who was among 33 people brought to the hospital, succumbed to splinter injuries in the chest, the officials said. The condition of four more injured persons was "critical" and two of them were operated upon by the doctors to save their lives, they said.

The grenade reportedly went off under a bus, resulting in the shrapnel being contained to a smaller area. The injured were immediately rushed to the hospital.

The injured included 11 residents of Kashmir, two from Bihar and one each from Chattisgarh and Haryana, the officials said.

Inspector General of Police, Jammu, M K Sinha said preliminary investigation suggested that the suspect lobbed the grenade in the bus stand area around noon, causing the explosion.