Major Tragedy Averted As Explosive Defused On Srinagar-Baramulla Highway

A major tragedy was averted in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday morning after the police detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) along the Srinagar-Baramulla highway.

The police, during a routine check of roads and highways, found a suspicious object in the Palhallan area of the highway. Following this, a bomb disposal squad was called which detected the object to be an IED, officials said.

The site was cordoned off soon after the explosive was detected and traffic on the highway was suspended.

The bomb squad of Jammu and Kashmir police destroyed the device within a few hours, following which the traffic movement was restored, officials said.

It is not yet ascertained who had planted the device.

The incident site is 30 to 40 kilometres away from Gulmarg - a destination attracting tourists, especially at this time of the year.

Terrorists have been using remote triggered or pressure IEDs to target convoys of the security forces and the Army on roads, streets, and highways in Jammu and Kashmir. These explosive devices have also been used by the terrorists to target VIP cavalcades in the Valley.

Last week, authorities attached three houses in Shopian and Baramulla districts under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in separate terror cases, reported news agency PTI. According to the police, the houses attached in Shopian are registered in the names of Mohd Shafi Dar, the father of terrorist Adnan Shafi Dar, and Abdul Majeed Koka, the father-in-law of terrorist associate Sajad Ahmad Khah. While a single-storeyed residential house attached in Baramulla belonged to Mohammad Subhan Khan.