Mobile towers in north Kashmir’s Baramulla again came under attack of unidentified persons Wednesday—almost a month after similar attacks in the district.
The grenades, according to police, didn’t explode but triggered panic among locals.
Police sources said unidentified gunmen hurled two grenades on an Airtel mobile tower in Sherpora Pattan on Tuesday evening. While police claimed the grenades didn’t explode, locals said they went off and caused damage to windowpanes of a nearby house.
Four to five hours after this attack, suspected militants emerged at Nehalpora Pattan and hurled two hand grenades on a mobile tower in the area, police said. Both grenades didn’t explode but triggered panic among local residents, they said.
Reports said a group of cops from police station Pattan rushed to the spot, but suspected militants triggered a mine blast on their vehicle near Grid Station.
No loss of life, however, was reported.
“It seems something, we are looking into it,” Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, SJM Gillani told , without elaborating further.
The fresh attacks on mobile towers come barely a month after similar attacks in the district triggered widespread panic among people. The attacks led to breakdown of communication network in the district, particularly in its Sopore town.
Earlier, unidentified gunmen shot dead a BSNL salesman and tower-owner in Sopore.
Meanwhile, local news agency CNS said the attacks on mobile towers have forced many landlords to flee from their houses. “I am not going to take a risk this time. Anything can happen; so I have decided to migrate to other parts of the district for the time being,” said a landlord.
Pertinently, in May and early June, Lashker-e-Islami—a hitherto unknown militant outfit—claimed responsibility for a spate of attacks on mobile towers in north Kashmir that left two persons dead.
This time, however, no militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.
