Srinagar Hit by Grenade Attack, Reviving Memories of Turbulent Past

A grenade attack rocked Srinagar's weekly market near the Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) on Sunday, injuring ten innocent civilians. The incident brought back memories for Law Kumar Mishra, a veteran journalist who spent his early career in the city from 1998 to 2001 while working for The Times of India.

Upon arriving in Srinagar, Mishra stayed in the TRC room for the first 15 days, where temperatures plummeted to -8 degrees Celsius. During his stay, he was accompanied only by a Swedish engineer engaged in a hydro power project. For the first time in his life, Mishra experienced the benefits of electric blankets and 16 kg LPG cylinders as room heaters. However, battling the cold also involved enduring painful Paramvir injections for a week.

The open area opposite the TRC serves as both a weekly market and a bus stand. During his stay in a rented house on Court Road near Lal Chowk, Mishra witnessed makeshift shops selling woolen garments, blankets, and shoes. This vibrant scene stood in stark contrast to the aftermath of the Pladium Cinema burning at the hands of militants. The building then housed a Border Security Force (BSF) unit.

Grenade attacks were a constant threat during Mishra's time in Srinagar. He vividly recalls an incident at the Allahabad Bank branch near the Telephone Exchange adjoining Ghanta Ghar. Panic erupted with loud noises, prompting the bank manager to swiftly shut down shutters and warn customers about a grenade attack.

Similarly, a blast at the State Bank of India targeted an Ambassador car parked nearby, where militants had stored explosives. The detonation, triggered by another group from the Jhelum River embankment, tragically claimed the lives of eleven people, including a visiting journalist from Hindustan Times and four senior police officers. The force of the blast propelled the car over 100 feet into the air.

Mishra also paid his respects at the historic shrine of the 10th-century Sufi saint, Hazrat Dastgeer Saheb. He expresses concern about the recent grenade attack in Khanyar, just 4 kilometers from Srinagar, which occurred on Saturday. This incident disturbingly echoes a tactic employed roughly 35 years ago, where teenagers were used by militants to lob grenades from bicycles.

The attack raises concerns about a potential return to a period when security forces faced relentless threats from silent pistols. Mishra recounts another incident where retired Supreme Court judge Justice S R Pandian, who headed the 5th pay revision commission , had to make a hasty retreat on Residency Road near Lal Chowk while attempting to buy shoes. ITBP security personnel shielded him upon hearing the sounds of a grenade attack. Justice Pandian was in Srinagar to investigate the Pathribal (Anantnag) encounter, which he found to be fake.