Militant injured in Srinagar grenade attack dies

A detained militant who was injured in a grenade attack here Wednesday afternoon succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, police said.

Shakeel Ahmed Kasana, resident of Akhal village in Ganderbal district, was injured along with seven others when militants hurled a grenade at a police vehicle, a senior police officer said.

"Kasana, a militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen outfit, was detained under the Public Safety Act (PSA). He was injured along with four policemen and three civilians when militants hurled a grenade at a police vehicle in Batmaloo area of Srinagar. The police party was taking Kasana to Baramulla district," the officer added.

"Kasana succumbed to his injuries, while others are undergoing treatment in hospital," the officer said.

Some media reports here claimed that Kasana used to be the personal security guard of Syed Salahuddin, chief of militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, who is now operating from Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

There has, however, been no official confirmation of Kasana's past as the guard of Syed Salahuddin.