46 hurt in election violence

2004-04-28 17:59

Srinagar - Suspected Islamic militants launched a series of attacks on Wednesday in Indian-controlled Kashmir, injuring 46 people as the state prepared for parliamentary elections, police said.

Panicked supporters fled as a grenade exploded at an election rally of the opposition National Conference in Bhagwa village, about 160km northeast of Jammu, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Jammu-Kashmir state, said inspector-general P L Gupta, a top police official.

Balloting will take place in parts of Kashmir on May 10, the final day of voting in the five-phase Indian parliamentary elections which began on April 20. Some regions of the state have already cast their ballots.

Gupta said the grenade was hurled as National Conference candidate Khalid Najeeb Suhrawardy addressed a rally of about 400 people.

Three of the 20 injured were in a critical condition, he said. Police cordoned off the area and were searching for the attackers.

In a separate incident, 17 people were injured in an attack by suspected rebels on the police station in Handwara, 90km north of Srinagar, the state's summer capital, said senior police officer Mohammed Riaz. The injured included nine policemen and eight civilians, he said.

Grenade thrown at car

Earlier in the day, militants hurled a grenade at a car carrying Khalil Naik, a Marxist leader travelling to campaign for his party's parliamentary candidate in the village of Bonagam.

The grenade missed Naik's car and exploded on the road, wounding seven civilians and two policemen, police said.

Bonagam is 70km south of Srinagar.

Islamic militants have threatened to kill anyone who takes part in the elections in Jammu-Kashmir, the only Muslim-majority state in Hindu-majority India. Dozens of political workers have been killed since January.

Islamic militants have been fighting since 1989 to separate the region from Indian control. More than 65 000 people have died in the conflict.

- AP