Saturday, January 1 2005 19:19 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Srinagar: A Deputy Inspector General and nine policemen were among 17 persons injured in a massive explosion triggered by militants on New Year day in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir, official sources said.

DIG, South Kashmir, Ravinder Kotwal was the target of the militants who detonated a powerful improvised explosive device (IED), believed to have been planted inside a scooter, at Naibasti, 55 kms from Srinagar, around 5:10 hrs (IST), the sources said.

Kotwal, nine other policemen and seven pedestrians were injured in the blast which shook the entire township of Anantnag, the sources said adding all the injured have been taken to hospital.

Kotwal was travelling in his bulletproof vehicle from his office to Naibasti area when the blast took place. He was slightly injured and being rushed to Srinagar for treatment, the sources said.

The IED-laden scooter was kept on the roadside by militants and set off when the DIG passed the road, they said adding his official vehicle bore the brunt of the explosion.

The blast was so powerful that windowpanes of several houses in the locality and adjacent areas were smashed under the impact of the blast, the sources said, adding a high-tension electricity wire also got snapped plunging the whole area into darkness.

The security forces and police cordoned the area immediately after the explosion.