Grenade thrown at home of Kashmir's new leader

A grenade was today thrown at the house of Kashmir’s new state leader shortly before he was to be sworn-in to the top job, police said.

The grenade exploded outside the house of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed in Srinagar injuring an unidentified civilian, police said.

Sayeed was in the house at the time of the attack, and was holding consultations with senior members of his People’s Democratic Party, a senior police official said.

Sayeed was scheduled to be sworn in as chief minister, the state’s top elected official, later today. It was not immediately clear if the ceremony would be delayed.

Police blamed the attack on Muslim guerrillas, who have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India, or its merger with Islamic Pakistan.

Both countries claim the entire Himalayan region, which is split between the two neighbours by a cease-fire line.