One dead, 17 wounded in IOK grenade blast

Kashmir has been on a knife-edge since Aug 5 when New Delhi stripped the region of its autonomy

SRINAGAR: At least one person was killed and 17 wounded on Monday in a grenade blast at a crowded market in Indian Occupied Kashmir's Srinagar city.

Kashmir has been on a knife-edge since August 5 when the Indian government moved to strip the region of its autonomy, imposed a lock down, cut telecommunications and detained thousands.

Doctors at the main hospital said that the deceased was a resident of northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

"Two people are critical," a doctor said on condition of anonymity.

Srinagar police chief Haseeb Mughal told AFP that 18 people were injured out of whom one died at the hospital.

Around half of mobile phones remain cut off, as does the internet, while hundreds of local political leaders are still in detention, mostly without charge.

Markets, schools and public areas remain closed with government forces still patrolling the streets, with periodic security lock downs imposed on many parts of the region.