Moulvi Showkat Ahmed Shah, head of the Ahli-Hadees organisation in Jammu and Kashmir, was killed in a powerful bomb explosion outside a mosque in Maisuma locality near Srinagar's city centre Lal Chowk on Friday afternoon.
A senior police official said, Shah was just about to step inside the mosque when the bomb exploded, injuring him and another bystander critically.
Shah and the other injured bystander were immediately rushed to the SHMS hospital in Srinagar. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, Shah succumbed to his injuries.
High tension has gripped Maisuma locality after the blast, as security personnel are searching the area.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the incident.
Meanwhile, Srinagar district police chief Ashiq Bukhari told rediff.com that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been tied to a bicycle which was parked near the entrance of the mosque.
"The IED exploded as Maulana was entering the mosque. He was critically injured in the blast and shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed," Bukhari added.