TRC grenade victim Abida succumbs at SMHS Hospital

Srinagar, Nov 12: Nine days after she was wounded in a grenade attack near the Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar, the 40-year-old Abida Kousar of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday.

Abida, wife of Zubair Lone of the Naidkhai area of Bandipora had been on a ventilator since November 3.

She was injured on November 3 when terrorists lobbed a grenade near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) in Srinagar, injuring at least 12 persons.

“Abida had a severe head injury and was on a ventilator since the day she was admitted to the hospital. She was operated upon by the doctors and was on a ventilator till she succumbed to her injuries at SMHS Hospital,” a doctor posted at SMHS Hospital said.

Five days after the attack, the J&K Police said that the case related to the grenade blast near TRC Srinagar was solved by arresting the three accused from Srinagar uptown.

Addressing media persons, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi said that the three arrested youth from the Ikhrajpora area of Srinagar were involved in lobbing the grenade.

He identified the arrested persons as Usama Yaseen Sheikh, 28, and Umar Fayaz Sheikh, 25, both residents of Ikhrajpora, Srinagar, and Afnan Mansoor Naik, 27, of Watoo, presently living at Ikhrajpora, Srinagar.

Police registered a case under FIR No 66/2024 at Kothibagh Police Station under Sections 16 of the UAPA, 209 and 115 of BNS, and 3/4 of the Explosive Substances Act.

“The accused are in Police custody and an investigation into the case is going on. They are being questioned and we are expecting that they will make some more revelations," a top Police officer said.

He said that a detailed chargesheet would be produced after completion of the investigations.