Amid continuing targeted killings, a bank manager from Rajasthan and a labourer from Bihar working in a brick kiln were killed in separate incidents in Kashmir on Thursday.
The manager at the Ellaquai Dehati Bank (EDB), Vijay Kumar from Rajasthan’s Bhagwan village, was on duty in the morning when a pistol-borne militant barged into the bank and fired three shots at him in the Arreh-Mohanpora branch in Kulgam. The incident was captured by the bank’s CCTV cameras.
“Mr. Kumar received grievous injuries and died in hospital,” the police said.
On social media, a little-known outfit, the Kashmir Freedom Fighters (KFF), purportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the veracity of the claim was not confirmed by the police. “Mr. Kumar, holding a domicile, was eliminated by our cadre. Anyone involved in the demographic change of Kashmir will meet the same fate,” according to the KFF release.
Mr. Kumar, who got married just six months ago, was living with his wife in the Qazigund area.
In a separate targeted attack in the evening, terrorists fired upon two non-local labourers working in a brick kiln in the Chadoora area of Budgam. The duo was shifted to hospital, where one of them, identified as as Dilkhush from Bihar, succumbed, police said.
With Thursday attacks, the number of targeted killings has touched nine in Kashmir in the past 22 days.
Mr. Kumar’s killing was reminiscent of the murder of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, who was shot dead in his office chair in Budgam on May 12. Since then, a Muslim woman artist, a Hindu schoolteacher, a wine shop staffer and three policemen were among the victims of targeted killings.
The attack came within 24 hours of a civilian, Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, being shot at in Pulwama.
Meanwhile, in another targeted attack, terrorists fired upon two outside labourers working in a brick kiln in the Chadoora area of Budgam on Thursday evening. The duo was shifted to hospital where one of them succumbed, a police spokesman said. The deceased migrant worker was identified as Dilkhush, a resident of Bihar.
Earlier in the day, three soldiers were injured in a blast inside the vehicle they were travelling in Shopian town of South Kashmir .
“Around 3 a.m., based on specific intelligence, an operation was launched from the Sedow camp to lay a cordon and search in the Patitohalan area. While moving to the target area, approximately one km from Sedow, an explosion took place in the civil-hired vehicle, being used by the team, resulting in injuries to three soldiers,” an Army spokesperson said.
He said the blast was very likely to be from either an improvised explosive device (IED) or a grenade or a battery malfunctioning in the vehicle.
“The injured personnel were immediately shifted and given first aid at the district hospital, Shopian, and thereafter evacuated to the 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar. One soldier is critical while two other injured are stable,” the spokesman said.
Security stepped up
Meanwhile, security has been heightened in south Kashmir and Srinagar in the wake of growing attacks on civilians. Informed sources said area domination by the security forces, where members of the minority community live, has been enhanced. New checkpoints have been set up in south Kashmir to deter the movement of militants.
Rajasthan CM condemns
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who condemned Mr. Kumar’s killing, said, “The NDA government at the Centre had failed to restore peace in Kashmir. The Union government should ensure safety of citizens in Kashmir. Such killings of our citizens by the terrorists will not be tolerated.”
The Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC), a valley-based civil society body comprising former bureaucrats, academicians and retired judges, said such targeted killing of innocent persons “was an assault on universal human values and totally against the tenets of all religions, including Islam”.
Editorial | Grim turn: On targeted killings in Kashmir Valley
“We would appeal to all the people in Kashmir to strongly condemn such acts and extend full support and cooperation to the employees from the minority community for their security and protection. We also call upon the Union Territory administration to get all such incidents thoroughly investigated and bring the culprits to book, without any delay,” Rafeeq Masoodi, the spokesman of the DCC, said.
The National Conference (NC) and the Peoples Democratic Party have also condemned the killing.
“Tweeting to condemn an attack and condole a death are becoming a mind-numbingly regular thing. It’s heartbreaking to see families destroyed like this,” NC vice-president Omar Abdullah said.
CPI(M) leader M. Y Tarigami termed the killing “barbaric”. “Such acts only suit the enemies of Kashmir,” he said.
(With inputs from Mohammed Iqbal from Rajasthan)
