SRINAGAR, 20 July 2004 — Kashmir’s deputy chief minister yesterday escaped the second assassination bid in a week but six people died and 38 were injured in a grenade blast as he addressed a public rally, police said.

Mangat Ram Sharma, Roads and Buildings Minister Ghulam Ahmed Mir and Power Minister Mohammed Sharief Niaz were unhurt by the powerful explosion, a police spokesman said.

Some 38 others, including six policemen, an American woman and three journalists, were hurt in the attack around 3:50 p.m. (1020 GMT) in the town of Kapran in southern Anantnag district, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Srinagar.

The private secretary of one of the three ministers, two women and two men were killed, while at least two state senior leaders of India’s ruling party Congress were among the injured.

Mohammad Yousuf Rather, the chief engineer of Kashmir’s roads and buildings, also later died in hospital, doctors at the Soura Medical Institute told AFP.

“The explosion took place when the public meeting was almost coming to an end,” a visibly shaken Sharma told reporters in Srinagar. “It should be probed how militants managed to enter the area despite huge security arrangements,” he said.

Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed condemned the attack, calling it “anti-people” and an attempt to stall the return of peace.

A lesser-known militant group, Al-Nasireen, took responsibility for the attack in a statement released to local media.

“Mujahedeen will continue attacks on ministers and other government functionaries,” the group warned in the statement.

Among the injured were Asgar Samoon, the civil administrator for Anantnag district, and two senior police and civil officers of the district. “Samoon is being flown to Srinagar for treatment,” the police spokesman said.

“The entire area has been sealed off and searches launched to arrest the militants responsible for the attack,” he said.

Six of the injured were in critical condition. On July 13, five people were injured when rebels targeted Sharma’s motorcade near Lal Chowk, Srinagar’s main commercial area. The leader escaped unhurt.