Kashmiri Pandit Killed, Brother Injured After Being Shot by Militants in Shopian

The deceased has been identified as Sunil Kumar while his brother Pintu Kumar is currently undergoing treatment.

Pintu Kumar Bhat, the brother of Sunil Kumar Bhat who was killed in Shopian on 16 August.

(Photo: PTI)

The mortal remains of Sunil Kumar, the Kashmiri Pandit who was shot dead by militants on Tuesday, 16 August, were brought to his residence in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian.

The militants had fired at Sunil Kumar Bhat and his brother Pintu Kumar Bhat in an apple orchard. While Sunil died on the spot, Pintu sustained injuries and is currently undergoing treatment.

The police said that the incident had taken place in Shopian's Chotipora area.

"Terrorists fired upon civilians in an apple orchard in Chotipora area of Shopian. One person died and one injured. Both belong to minority community. Injured person has been shifted to hospital. Area #cordoned off. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

KPSS Urges Pandits To Vacate the Valley

In a social media post, the Kashmiri Pandit Sangharash Samiti (KPSS) asked community members to leave the valley in the wake of increased attacks against them.

"With another deadly attack on Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, the terrorists have made it clear that they are going to kill all Kashmiri Pandits in Kashmir Valley. Kashmir is a place where tourists are safe but local non-Muslims, especially the Kashmir Pandits are vulnerable," read a note shared by the organisation on Twitter.

L-G, Former J&K CM Omar Abdullah, Priyanka Gandhi Condemn Attack

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha expressed his condolences over the incident, and said that the attackers would not be spared for this "barbaric act."

"Pained beyond words on despicable terror attack on civilians in Shopian. My thoughts are with the family of Sunil Kumar. Praying for speedy recovery of injured. The attack deserves strongest condemnation from everyone. Terrorists responsible for barbaric act will not be spared," the office of the LG quoted him as saying.

Former J&K Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack and offered condolences to the family of the deceased.

"Terribly sad news from South Kashmir today. An accident & a militant attack have left a trail of death & suffering. I condemn the militant attack in Shopian unequivocally in which Sunil Kumar was killed & Pinto Kumar injured. My condolences to the family," he said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, J&K Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Ravinder Raina said that Pakistan wanted to "turn Kashmir into a graveyard."

"Pakistan wants to turn Kashmir into a graveyard but we won't allow it to fulfill its nefarious designs. Those involved in targeting the Kashmiri Pandits in Shopian will be taken to task. They will definitely be punished," he was quoted as saying by ANI.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, on the other hand, said that a Union government-led administration in Kashmir had proved to be unsuccessful in preventing attacks against Pandits, and that the abrogation of Article 370 had not yielded any positive results for the security situation in the Valley.

"BJP-appointed LG in J&K and the Centre-run government there have proved to be unsuccessful. Removal of Article 370 hasn't helped. This is not the first attack on a Kashmiri Pandit in J&K. They (Centre) have failed to provide security. Kashmiri Pandits want to leave Kashmir now," Owaisi said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi took to Twitter to express her condolences over the incident.

"Kashmiri Pandits have been raising concerns regarding their safety for months. The government must listen to them and take necessary action," she tweeted in Hindi.

Kashmir Divisional Commissioner PK Pole told ANI, "We condemn this incident. There have been regular attacks on the people living in different districts of the valley, we had deployed guards here."

"We are trying our best to improve the situation here and an investigation has been started," he added.

Spate of Killings Across Valley

The killing comes in the wake of attacks against minorities and migrant labourers in the Kashmir valley over the last few months. On Sunday, a police official was killed in Nowhatta, and a migrant labourer from Bihar was killed in Bandipora last week.

On Monday, two grenade attacks took place in Budgam and Srinagar. Also, four soldiers were killed in an attack on an army base near Rajouri last week.

In May this year, massive protests erupted across the valley after a Kashmiri Pandit named Rahul Bhat was gunned down by militants. At the time, several protesters had taken to the streets and threatened to resort to mass resignations if the administration failed to provide security to Pandits.

A television artist named Amreen Bhat was also shot dead at her residence in Budgam in May for refusing to perform at a private concert.

(With inputs from ANI.)