#Kashmiri Pandits : In Yet Another Cowardly Attack , Terrorists Kill Puran Krishan Bhat In Shopian District ; Protests In Jammu

Picture : Twitter/ ANI

In yet another incident of targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir by terrorists, a Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said.

As per PTI report, The victim was identified as Puran Krishan Bhatwas attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, they said, adding that doctors declared Krishan brought dead after he was shifted to Shopian hospital.

“Terrorists fired upon a civilian (minority) Puran Krishan Bhat while he was on his way to an orchard in Chowdari Gund, Shopian. He was immediately shifted to hospital for treatment where he succumbed,” the Jammu Kashmir police said.

He is survived by his wife and two children. His eldest daughter is aged 11 and his son is eight. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt has been launched to nab the assailants, they added.

The latest attack comes after a string of targeted killings in the J&K valley over the last few months, including Kashmiri Pandits and other civilians.

Following the killing of Puran Krishan Bhat , Migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees in Jammu took to the streets to protest against the killing reported ANI

Reacting to the Killing, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference in their party Twitter handle wrote , Unequivocally condemn the brazen, cowardly attack on Puran Krishan Bhat in Shopian, in which he lost his life. Heartfelt commiserations to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

As the news of the latest killing of Kashmiri Pandit broke out, they came out of the protest site and marched towards the main road and blocked the highway, amid high pitch sloganeering to denounce the target killings by terrorists and the alleged failure of the government to deal with the situation.

“Our worst fears have once again come true with the latest killing. We have already fled the valley otherwise we feel many of us have been done to death,” one of the protesters, Nikhil Kaul said.

He said they have been saying that the situation in the valley is not safe for them but “this government remained unmoved and paid no heed to their pleas for relocation.”

Yogesh Pandit, another protester, said the administration is trying to pressure them to rejoin their duties by issuing ‘death warrants’ in the form of making biometric attendance mandatory and stopping their salaries.

“The killing of Bhat exposed the government claims about the improved security situation in the valley. We will not return till the situation becomes normal in true sense,” he said.