ELECTION 99
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

1 killed, 8 injured in attack on Srinagar cinema hall

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Regal Theatre, a landmark in the heart of Srinagar, which reopened this morning after 11 long years, became the target of an attack by militants in the evening.

The militants lobbed a hand-grenade at the heavily guarded cinema hall located at Regal Chowk at 1900 IST just as the last show ended and patrons were leaving.

One person was killed on the spot while eight others were grievously wounded and have been taken to hospital.

This is the first attack on a cinema theatre in the Kashmir valley in a long time. All the nine theatres in Srinagar, two each in Sopore and Baramulla, and one in Anantnag closed down by 1989 after the extremists proclaimed movies "un-Islamic".

But as the militancy was brought under control and life in the valley slowly began returning to normal after nine years, some of the theatres resumed operation last year under police protection.

Tell us what you think of this report