A group of tourists from Kerala who were traveling in tempos came under attack from stone pelters on Monday night in Anantnag district of Kashmir. 

The incident took place near Ashmuqam in Pahalgam town of Anantnag district on Monday night at around 8pm. A total of 47 people were in four tempos at the time of the incident. 

Seven people suffered injuries on the head and were taken to different sub-district hospitals in Seer, Anantnag district. Two of the injured got three stitches on the head, while the rest were discharged after examination. 

Shinil who was the tourist guide in the bus said, “We were travelling from Pahalgam to our hotel in Srinagar. While we were coming, there was a festival at a masjid on the way, where a crowd had assembled. When they saw our vehicle with a Jammu registration number, that probably incensed them and they started pelting stones at us."

The people were apparently upset over the killing of an 18-year-old boy in Jammu recently, he said. 

At the scene of the incident, some of the people in the crowd which had attacked, themselves helped take the injured to hospital in their own vehicles, said Shinil. 

On Monday, police came and escorted us and they dropped us at our hotel in Srinagar, said Shinil adding, “The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Pahalgam accompanied us to the hotel in Srinagar. Today morning, the tourist police have registered a complaint.”

Meanwhile, Pahalgam SDM Mohd. Ashraf told TNM, “There was a religious gathering of about 200 people and some disturbance happened due to which violence broke out. A group of tourists from Kerala was passing through the way at that time when they got caught in the violence. Some of them suffered injuries in the process and were taken to hospital.”