New Delhi: The incidents of target killing have increased in Jammu and Kashmir valley in the last few months. Within the last month, six cases of the targeted killing took place that included civilians and women.
On May 12, a government servant named Rahul Bhatt was killed by the militants, followed by a policeman named Riyaz Ahmed Thakor who was a resident of Pulwama on May 13. On May 24, a constable named Saifullah Qadri was killed and the next day a Kashmiri TV artist named Amreen Bhatt on May 25.
On May 31, a high school teacher named Rajni Bala was killed outside the school where she taught. The killings continued on June 2 with the killing of Bank Manager Vijay Kumar.
The valley has been a witness to civilians being targeted and attacked by militants and terrorists.
According to a report by the Indian Express, there have been at least 16 cases of targeted killings in the last six months that included teachers, police officials, and sarpanches.
J&K Police DGP Dilbag Singh, while talking to the Indian Express, said that those involved in targeted killings are only “only propagating fear since local residents have stopped responding to their diktat.”
Meanwhile, the police have attributed these targeted killings to the “killing of a huge number of terrorists of all outfits, especially their leaderships, destruction of their support structures and continuous and effective maintenance of law and order,” Indian Express reported.
Since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the valley has been under the President's rule. Hence the targeted killings are raising questions about governance in the Kashmir valley, forcing minorities out of the union territory.
As a result of these killings, the minorities in the valley have started a protest demanding safety from the central government. According to a report by news agency ANI, protests broke out in the valley after Kashmiri Pandit teacher Rajni Bala's death.
People belonging to the Hindu community employed in Kashmir protest in Jammu, over the death of school teacher Rajni Bala and demand security for members of their community, ANI reported.
"The government should grant us arms licenses, we will fight in Kashmir. Minority Hindu employees serving in the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley should also be given weapons for their personal protection," Jammu president of Bajrang Dal Rakesh Kumar told reporters after the incident.