Srinagar: Militants on Sunday evening attacked residence of ruling PDP MLA with a grenade in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district while body of a youth with hands tied was recovered from volatile Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sources said militants lobbed a grenade towards the residence of MLA Noorabad Abdul Majeed Paddar at village Damhal in Kulgam district at around 7.05 am.

The grenade exploded with a big bang, causing minor damage to the glass and window panes of the house.

Sources said the security men guarding the MLA’s residence fired some rounds in air after the grenade attack.

They said the MLA was not present in the house at the time of militant attack.

After the grenade attack, police and paramilitary personnel rushed to the spot and launched combing and search operation to track down the militants responsible for the grenade attack. However, no arrests were reported during the hour long encounter.

No militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The militants of Lashkar-e-Toiba, Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammad are active in south Kashmir.

Earlier, this morning police recovered body of 25-years old Mohammad Shafi Sofi from Ratnipora road in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district with hands tied with a rope.

A police official said initial reports suggest that that deceased was tortured.

“There were multiple deep cut wounds on his legs and other body parts. There was a rope around his neck which indicates the possibility of strangulation besides torture,” he said.

 

The official said no bullet injury was found on body. 

He said police have registered a case and launched investigations.

The deceased was working as salesman in a business unit in Srinagar.

Meanwhile, police, paramilitary and army men launched a joint Combing and Search Operation (CASO) in Drabgam village of Pulwama district this evening about receiving information about presence of militants there.

As the security personnel were laying siege of the village, the youth took to roads and pelted stones on them.

The security men retaliated by lobbing tear smoke shells, firing pellets and bursting tear gas canisters to disperse them.

Locals said half a dozen people sustained injuries in security forces action.

They said two of the injured youth were hit by pellets on eyes  and were referred to hospital in Srinagar for specialized treatment.

Sources said the search operation was going on when reports last poured in.