A grenade explosion at a bus stand in the Indian city of Jammu killed one person and wounded at least 29 on Thursday, police said, just weeks after a Pakistan-based militant group killed 40 paramilitary police in nearby Kashmir, almost sparking a war. The reason for the blast was unknown, but was labeled an "attack" by a senior government minister. "The grenade attack in Jammu is condemnable," said Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Twitter. "I wish the injured a speedy recovery." "I request everybody to maintain calm," Jammu police chief M.K. Sinha told reporters at the site of the blast. "We are chasing all leads." "It seems that the grenade was lobbed from outside (the premises) and it rolled under the bus and caused injuries to approximately 18 people," Sinha told journalists. "A grenade was hurled by an unidentified person which exploded under a bus in the main terminal. Four people are critical," a second police officer said. "The bus was about to leave to Pathankot city in Punjab." Purported videos of the incident circulating on social media showed injured people lying on the ground with locals trying to help them. Jammu is largely a Hindu-dominated area of the disputed Himalayan region that is ruled by India and Pakistan in parts, but claimed by both. Jammu has witnessed several incidents of militant attacks in the past despite little to no support to armed rebels that enjoy widespread public backing in the Kashmir region. Most of the attacks have been targeted at military installations, including a strike by militants of JeM on an army base in Sunjuwan area in February 2018 that left 11 people dead, including six soldiers and four attackers. Police suggested that the blast could be aimed at fomenting tensions between different communities in Jammu city, home to around half a million people. Indian police imposed a curfew for several days in Jammu in the wake of the February 14 attack after mobs attacked and set fire to properties belonging to Kashmiri Muslims. — Agencies
