Protest Erupts In J&K After Terrorists Kill Kashmiri Pandit In Fresh Case Of Targeted Killing

Puran Krishan was attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, officials said.

New Delhi: Terrorists fired upon a civilian identified as Puran Krishan Bhat in Jammu & Kashmir's Shopian district on Saturday after which the victim succumbed to the injuries.

Puran Krishan, a Kashmiri Pandit, was attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, news agency PTI reported officials as saying.

He was immediately shifted to a hospital for treatment where the doctors declared Krishan brought dead, they

According to the police, Kashmir Freedom Fighters outfit claimed responsibility for the attack.

“A Kashmiri Pandit Puran ji has been murdered. We are working on it (the case). KFF (Kashmir Freedom Fighters) has claimed the responsibility for it. We won't say anything for sure about it, yet. A guard was present here,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Sujit Kumar said, as quoted by ANI.

“We are ascertaining the reason, he had gone out on his scooter & had returned on it. He wasn't alone, they were 2 people. If the incident occurred in presence of the guard who was deployed here, action will cover not only him but all concerned officers in the area,” he added.

He further informed that in the initial investigation, eyewitnesses said that there was only one person who had targetted him and was in front of him. “Nobody has spotted anyone else who might be hiding. Things will be clear, give us some time,” ANI quoted the officer as saying.

Migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees in Jammu began a protest against the fresh attack in Shopian, ANI reported.

Jammu & Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha condemned the terrorist killing in Shopian. “I assure the people that the perpetrators and those aiding and abetting terrorists will be severely punished,” he said.

The area was cordoned off while a search is in progress.

Recent Attacks In Jammu & Kashmir

In August, a Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead and his brother injured after militants opened fire at them in the Shopian. The deceased was identified as Sunil Kumar and his injured brother as Pintu Kumar.

While India celebrated its 75th Independence Day, terrorists threw a grenade at a house in Budgam, injuring a civilian identified as Karan Kumar Singh who was shifted to a Srinagar hospital.

Militants have stepped up attacks in the Kashmir valley targeting minorities and security personnel.

A policeman was killed in Nowhatta and a migrant labourer in Bandipora in August. Two grenade attacks took place in Budgam and Srinagar districts on August 15.