Kashmiri Pandit shot dead, brother injured in militant attack at Shopian

A Kashmiri Pandit died and his brother was injured after they were shot by militants in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.

Terrorists shot dead a Kashmiri Pandit and injured his cousin on Tuesday at an apple orchard in south Kashmir’s Shopian district, which had seen similar attacks on the minority community in April.

This casualty raised the number of targeted killings to 21 this year. Tuesday’s incident was a chilling reminder of the barbaric gunning down of a school principal Supinder Kaur last October.

According to police officials, two terrorists belonging to the banned Al-Badar organisation, came to the orchard this morning and lined up everyone. After identification, they segregated Sunil Kumar Bhat and his cousin Pritmber Kumar Bhat and shot indiscriminately on them with their AK-47 rifles.

According to eyewitnesses and Pritmber Bhat's statement, while one terrorist was firing indiscriminately, the other was capturing the horrific incident on his smart phone. A police spokesman said around 11.30 AM, they received information about the incident. Both the cousins were immediately shifted to a hospital where Sunil Kumar succumbed to injuries. The condition of Pritmber Bhat is stated to be stable.

Police has identified the assailant as Adil Wani, a categorised terrorist of Al Badar group, and a hunt has been launched to nab him. Sunil Kumar, who leaves behind four daughters and his wife, was cremated in the evening amid slogans of “Hindu Muslim Sikh Itehad (unity of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs)".

Qatal-e-Gaarth na manzoor (killing of innocent and destruction are unacceptable) and chants of unity reverberated in the air as villagers of Chotigam took out a procession from the house of Bhat to the cremation ground. Several people from the area joined the procession from Butt's residence where Muslim neighbours were seen consoling the family.

Terrorists had struck in the same village in April when they opened fire on Kashmiri Pandit chemist Balkrishen Bhat alias Sonu Kumar, who miraculously escaped death.

There has been a spike in attacks on minorities, labourers and police personnel in the valley since the beginning of this year. The death toll in targeted attacks has gone up to 21 this year which includes two Kashmiri Pandits.

An obscure Kashmir Freedom Fighter group claimed responsibility for the attack but security forces believe it to be an act by the terrorists of banned Jaish-e-Mohammed. Heated arguments were witnessed outside the residence of the victim when officials from the administration visited the family. The brother of Balkrishen Bhat confronted the officials and accused them of failing in their duties to ensure the safety of minorities.

There are only two or three Kashmiri Pandit families in Chotigam, 10 km from the Shopian district headquarters and 70 km from Srinagar. The region is a hotbed of terrorism and is considered a stronghold of the terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

The incident shook the minority community, which was already reeling under fear following the killing of an employee in May. A call for fresh exodus from the valley was issued by Kashmir Pandit Sangharash Samiti, which has been taking up the cause with the government.