India holds militant over Kashmir grenade attack

The blast came three weeks after an attack by another Pakistan-based group killed 40 Indian paramilitary police

epa07419088 Jammu and Kashmir police officers inspect the grenade blast site with a sniffer dog, at a general bus stand in Jammu, the winter capital of Kashmir, India, 07 March 2019. According to the news reports, at least 18 people were injured when a grenade blast took place at a bus stand in Jammu. The  area was cordoned off by security personnel for assessment and search operations.  EPA/JAIPAL SINGH
Powered by automated translation

Indian police have detained a suspected militant after a grenade attack killed two people and left more than 30 injured at a bus stop in Kashmir.

The alleged attacker is a member of the Hizbul Mujahideen militant. The group denied any responsibility in the grenade attack.

Police said that the accused suspect, named as Yasir Javed Bhat, had confessed to the attack, according to the BBC.

"He arrived in Jammu yesterday and carried out the attack this morning, and was fleeing back to Kashmir when he was arrested by police at a checkpoint," Jammu police chief M.K. Sinha told reporters.

A senior government minister condemned the attack. "I wish the injured a speedy recovery," added Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter.

The blast came three weeks after an attack by another Pakistan-based group killed 40 Indian paramilitary police in Kashmir, escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India accuses Pakistan of harbouring militants, which Islamabad denies.

Jammu and Kashmir state is divided between Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region that sees a large amount of militant activity, and Jammu, a Hindu-majority region and home to a city of the same name, where such action is less common.

Kashmir has been divided and disputed since the partition of the British colony of India and the creation of independent India and Pakistan in 1947. They both rule it in part but claim it in full.