'Kashmiris identify emotionally with victims': J&K L-G, Mehbooba Mufti expresses shock

Jammu, Nov 10 (IANS) J&K Lt Governor, Manoj Sinha, on Monday regretted the loss of innocent lives in the car blast at Red Fort in Delhi, while former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, expressed shock and sadness at the loss of lives in the blast.

Manoj Sinha said on X today, “Extremely pained by the loss of lives in a blast in Delhi. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon.”

Mehbooba Mufti expressed her shock and grief by posting on X, “Deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the tragic car blast in Delhi that has taken eight precious lives and injured so many others.

“My heart goes out to the families who have lost their loved ones; no words can ease their pain. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured and hoping the cause of this tragedy is uncovered soon.”

People in the Valley have expressed anger and shock at the Delhi blast. Most locals said the victims of such blasts are always the innocent bystanders.

“The pain and suffering of the families whose dear ones are killed or injured in such an incident cannot be understood better by anybody other than the people living in Kashmir, as bomb explosions, firing exchanges, revenge and threat killings by terrorists have brought the disaster under which we lived for nearly 40 years,” said Abdul Gani Mir, resident of Hazratbal area.

The blast has come on a day when J&K Police and Haryana Police carried out a coordinated anti-terror operation in the Faridabad area of Haryana, where 2,900 Kg of explosive, most likely ammonium nitrate, was recovered with timer devices, an assault rifle, a pistol and other subversive material.

Two doctors were arrested for this act of white collar terrorism. Authorities have announced a high security alert in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and J&K.

Eyewitnesses described a deafening roar that "felt like the earth caving in," with plumes of black smoke billowing from the wreckage.

Delhi Police Commissioner Satish Golcha confirmed the explosion's intensity, noting that seven fire tenders were dispatched to douse the flames, while the area was swiftly cordoned off.

Notably, the J&K Police earlier in the morning busted an inter-state transnational terror module linked to Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind terror outfits that led to the recovery of 2,900 kg of explosive, two assault rifles, pistols, timers, and other material in the Faridabad area of Haryana, near New Delhi, police said, adding that seven people have been arrested so far.

This seizure, followed by the explosion at Red Fort, occurs just a day before the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections.

--IANS

sq/dan