Srinagar: Three civilians were killed when militants hurled a grenade in Jammu and Kashmir's Tral town on Thursday, with state police chief S.P. Vaid saying that PDP leader and cabinet minister Naeem Akhtar was the target.

Police said the militants carried out the grenade attack near the main bus stand in Tral in Pulwama district, killing two men and a woman instantly and injuring 30 others including policemen and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers.

"The injured have been shifted to hospital for treatment," a police officer said. The area was cordoned off to search for the attackers.

Later, the Director General of Police told a news channel that Roads and Buildings Minister Akhtar, from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was the target of the attack.

"The minister was immediately shifted to a safe location. He escaped unhurt. The militants hurled the grenade when the minister's cavalcade reached near the bus stand," he said.