JAMMU: A powerful blast rocked a hotel here blowing up the building and injuring 10 people, one seriously, ‘even as the Pakistani troops fired rockets on two border districts of the State while an All-party Hurriyat Conference sponsored bandh crippled life in the Valley on the Independence Day.
Meanwhile AlFaran has extended the deadline for the release of four foreign hostages by 24 hours. ‘The earlier deadline expired.
Elsewhere in the Valley, 12 militants, including an infiltrator and a focal hostage were among 17 people illed, two others injured and 14 were arrested.
According to the police, the blast at 715 a.m., which rocked the hotel on the B.C. Road near the bus stand, just minutes before the tricolor was 10 be unfurled at the Mini Stadium here, blew up the building completely. A family of eight pilgrims from Hisar in Haryana, who was staying in the hotel on its way to Vaishno evi. were buried under the debris. All of them were, however, rescued by the police and the fire brigade personnel and rushed to the Medical College Hospital where one of them was stated to be critical.
Immediately after the blast, an alert was sounded and the Independence Day celebrations at the Mint Siadium were hurriedly carried out. The ceremony lasted for a brief 20 minutes with not more than 75 civilians, including few local politicians, attending it. It was for the first time that no cultural program was held on the occasion. The school and college students, who used (o participate in the celebrations, were conspicuous by their absence. Only three contingents of J&K Armed Police, J&K Police and the CRPF took part in march past,
The stands were empty except for the men in uniform.
There was unprecedented security ‘with the entire ground of the stadium having been ploughed by a tractor the night before to look for any concealed explosive devices.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 25, 1995
