On Monday in Srinagar city heart wrenching scenes were witnessed after relatives and family members of Rafia carried the coffin to a graveyard amid sobs. Rafia, a teenage girl was the second casualty in a grenade attack by suspected militants at Hari Singh High street Srinagar. Over fifty civilians got injured and 2 died in the attack so far with many battling for their lives in Srinagar hospitals.
There is a possibility of few more causalities since some of the victims of grenade attack have received severe injuries. The grenade attack at HSHS on Sunday has been one of the most powerful grenade attacks in the recent past. The location of the incident was also chosen ideally since on Sunday, the market witnesses a huge rush of people for window shopping.
There have been several grenade throws in the past around this place but this comes as a major shock for security and Intel agencies. The grenade thrown by suspected militants caused huge damage and it may take time for people to overcome the losses.
The words may fall short to condemn the barbaric act. No civilized society can ever justify such an inhumane act and perpetrators of the crime need to be dealt with severely. But the security and intelligence agencies may also need to relook their preparations in meeting such challenges. The area is under the strict surveillance of security and Intel force physically as well as technologically.
The area has a good number of CCTV cameras installed. Besides, the area is under physical dominance throughout the day and night. If such incidents happen at these places what is the point of having security dominance.
The summer is arriving and Kashmir is hoping for substantial footfall of tourists. Such incidents can defeat the hopes and all arrangements made by administration to attract the tourist footfalls may go in vain. The industry will witness yet another setback which is actually on the ventilator since 2019.
Peace in Kashmir is connected to its economy, social life and everything else. The administration is required to give it first priority and ensure there is no repetition of such ugly incidents.
