Kashmir CM escapes assisnation bid

The terrorists fired three rifle grenades at the administrative complex of south Kashmir's Anantnag district, 54 km from Srinagar, as Sayeed was filing his papers.

One grenade exploded inside the district magistrate's office, another in the police chief's office and a third on the road outside, police said.

Unperturbed by the attack, Sayeed continued with the filing process and then returned to Srinagar under heavy police escort.

Sayeed is contesting the Anantnag Assembly seat, which his daughter Mehbooba Mufti vacated after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Pahalgam constituency earlier this year.

"We don't whether yet whether they were trying to target the chief minister or the police building in the neighbourhood," a police official told AFP.

Indian Kashmir will hold by-elections for four vacant seats October 13.

Sayeed, who heads the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in alliance with Congress which rules nationally, is a nominated member of the state legislature but now is seeking election.

A helicopter carrying 10 people including a state minister crashed Wednesday in India's northeastern hill state of Meghalaya, police said.

"Among the people travelling were two legislators and one Meghalaya state minister," an officer in the police control room said.

He said the helicopter, which belonged to the government of the state bordering Bangladesh, crashed at Badaopani, 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the capital Shillong.

He said it was too early to give details on casualties.

The helicopter took off on a routine daily flight from Guwahati, the capital of the neighbouring state of Assam, and went off the radar half an hour later.

The Indian Air Force sent a rescue helicopter to the crash site from a base in Shillong.