Monitoring Desk
SRINAGAR: At least nine people were injured Saturday in twin blasts in Jammu, the disputed region, police said, before the arrival of Indian opposition party’s leader Rahul Gandhi’s countrywide march.
The blasts hit the transport yard of Jammu in the Narwal area, regional police chief Mukesh Singh said, as security has been heightened with Rahul Gandhi’s march estimated to reach the city on Monday.
Thousands have joined Gandhi’s march against “division and hate,” which aims to turn the leftist Congress party’s fortunes around after its defeat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a 2019 election.
Blasts victims are mostly mechanics
Modi wants to take control of Jammu and Kashmir, hotly disputed by Muslim-majority Pakistan. The region has been governed almost exclusively by Muslim chief ministers.
The first blast took place around 0445 GMT, followed by another explosion, another police official said who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to share details with the media.
“Police have cordoned off the whole area, and a search operation is underway,” he said.
Jaswinder Singh, who witnessed the first blast, said the explosion occurred in a vehicle that was sent to the auto workshop for repairs.
“There was a huge sound, and when I came out, I saw an explosion had ripped apart a vehicle. Fifteen minutes later, there was another blast nearby. The injured are mostly car mechanics,” he said.
