16 injured in Kashmir grenade explosion

At least 16 people were injured when militants lobbed a grenade at a crowded market on Saturday in their bid to attack a police team on its way to a court in Shopian town of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The blast took place around noon at the market place, which was thronged by civilians at that time. Four women and 12 men - all civilians - were injured, a police official told IANS here.

Most of them had splinter injuries, the official said.

"The militants tried to attack a police party that was on its way to a court in connection with a case," he said.

All the injured were taken to a hospital for treatment. Shopian is at a distance of 52 km from Srinagar.

Security forces cordoned off the area to track down the militants, but drew a blank.

No guerrilla group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police registered a first information report (FIR) and launched an investigation.- IANS