Three Civilians sustained injuries in a suspected shell explosion in Tosamaidan, a picnic spot in central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The victims are treated in the Primary health centre with one of them in critical condition.
The old artillery training area of Indian army for 49 years has become a death trap for the visitors since it was open for public in 2016 after government declaring the meadows ‘safe’.
Tosamaidan bachav Front-TBF, a body of locals and RTI activists, demanded an immediate investigation after the incident.
“It is for the 2nd time that the blast has happened first being in 2018. Though the involved area was declared as safe and sanitized zone of Tosamaidan, the unprecedented incident has produced suspicion.” accuse Maqbool, chairman of TBF.
In 2014, the army undertook an 83-day long ‘operation Falah’ to clear it of unexploded shells in the meadows after a mortar shell killed a six-year-old girl in the neighbouring village.
Simran along with her younger brother Fayaz, 4, were playing outside their house when the shell exploded leaving Simran dead and her brother, Fayaz, seriously injured.
From 1962 onwards people living in almost 10 to 12 villages located under the foothills of Tosamaidan have suffered tremendously as the unexploded shells kept killing and maiming people.
A police officer said that a police team have reached the spot and the nature of the blast is being investigated.
