Valley of Terror: 8 People, Including Civilians, Killed in J&K in May

The Kashmir Valley is in the midst of another surge of militant attacks as eight people, including civilians, non-locals, and security forces, have been killed in May alone.

Photo: Chetan Bhakuni / The Quint

The Kashmir Valley is in the midst of another surge of militant attacks as eight people, including civilians – locals and non-locals – and security personnel, have been killed in the month of May alone.

The eight deceased include three security officials, painting a grim picture of the security situation in the valley.

The Quint takes a detailed look at each of the eight individual cases.

7 May: Ghulam Hassan Dar

Police constable Ghulam Hassan Dar was shot dead by terrorists while riding his motorcycle in Srinagar on Saturday, 7 May.

"Terrorists fired upon unarmed policeman constable Ghulam Hassan Dar near Ali Jan Road, Zoonimar area of Srinagar, resulting in critical injuries to the official," the Kashmir Zone Police had said on Twitter. "He was shifted to a hospital."

However, Dar succumbed to his injuries at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital later that day, PTI had reported.

Lieutenant Governor of Kashmir Manoj Sinha condemned the dastardly attack, while police officers, led by Inspector General of Police (Kashmir range) Vijay Kumar, paid tributes to Dar.

12 May: Rahul Bhat

A killing spree started on Thursday, 12 May, when Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, succumbed to his wounds after he was injured during a shooting at Chadoora village earlier in the day.

The police said Bhat, an employee at the Tehsildar's Office in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district, was taken to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar for treatment but succumbed to his injuries.

A preliminary investigation revealed that two terrorists were involved in the crime and used a pistol to shoot Bhat.

Jammu and Kashmir administration later said it would constitute a Special Investigative Team (SIT) to investigate the murder. J&K administration also said that they would provide a government job to Rahul Bhat's wife in Jammu and financial assistance to the family. A tweet from J&K LG's official Twitter account also announced that it would bear the educational expenses of Bhat's daughter.

Bhat's murder led to massive protests by Kashmiri Pandits in various parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The protesters, including government officers and their families, camped at the migrant colony at Vesu-Qazigund in the Anantnag district and demanded that the Lieutenant Governor's administration ensure that Kashmiri Pandits are safe in the valley.

The police had to fire tear gas shells and use batons when a group of protesters attempted to proceed towards the Srinagar Airport.

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, also met the family members of Bhat to offer his condolences. He strongly condemned the "barbaric killing" and said those "behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished."

13 May: Reyaz Ahmad Thoker

A day later, Reyaz Ahmad Thoker, a police constable, was shot dead by suspected militants at his residence in Pulwama.

SPO Thoker was attacked in his home in Gudroo village and was shifted to the Army's 92 base hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Later, a wreath-laying ceremony was conducted in the Pulwama district, where top police and paramilitary officials paid tributes to the SPO.

15 May: Shoib Ah Ganie

Civilian Shoib Ah Ganie of Turkwangam was killed in the Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, 15 May, during an exchange of fire between security forces and terrorists.

The police said that terrorists fired upon a joint patrol party of the CRPF and the police near a bridge connecting Litter Pulwama with Turkwangam in Shopian. However, during the exchange of fire, Ganie was injured.

The injured civilian was then taken to the district hospital in Pulwama for treatment but succumbed to his injuries, the police had informed.

17 May: Ranjit Singh

Ranjit Singh of Bakra Rajouri was killed, and three others, Govardhan Singh and Ravi Kumar of Kathua, and Govind Singh of Kangra Rajouri, were injured in a grenade attack on a wine shop in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district on Tuesday, 17 May.

The wine shop in the Dewan Bagh area of Baramulla town had been opened recently and was allotted to a Jammu resident.

"At about 2010 hours, two terrorists riding a bike stopped near the newly opened wine shop at Dewan Bagh Baramulla," the police had said. "The pillion rider wearing a burqa (veil) walked to the window of the said shop and dropped a grenade inside the said wine shop through a porthole window."

"The injured persons were immediately shifted to the hospital where one succumbed to splinter injuries," the police added. Another critically injured employee was referred to a Srinagar hospital for treatment.

The J&K government had recently issued several licences for opening wine shops in the valley. However, the same was met with opposition from religious parties and some locals.

According to The Indian Express, even the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kashmir unit had expressed concern over opening a liquor shop on the outskirts of Srinagar city and wanted it to be shifted as they did not want to hurt the sentiments of the people residing in the area.

24 May - Saifullah Qadri

Police Constable Saifullah Qadri was shot dead by terrorists outside his home at Ganaie Mohalla in the Anchar area of Srinagar district.

Qadri was leaving home to drop his daughter for tuition when the attack occurred. His seven-year-old daughter suffered a bullet injury in her right hand but was out of danger. The two were taken to a nearby hospital, where Qadri succumbed to injuries.

25 May: Amreen Bhat

Television artist Amreen Bhat, who was also very popular on Youtube and Instagram, was shot dead by terrorists at her residence in the Chadoora area of Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, 25 May. Her 10-year-old nephew was also injured in the attack.

"At around 1955 hours, terrorists fired upon one Amreen Bhat at her home. She was shifted to a hospital in injured condition, where doctors declared her dead. Her 10-year-old nephew, who was also at home, received a bullet injury on his arm," Kashmir Police Zone had said in a tweet.

Two days later, the J&K Police said that on the morning of Friday, 27 May, two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who were involved in the attack were killed.

Those gunned down were "newly joined local terrorists," identified as Shahid Mushtaq Bhat Farhan Habib, as per the police. They had killed the TV artist on the instruction of LeT Commander Lateef.

31 May: Rajni Bala

A female teacher, identified as Rajni Bala, was shot dead by militants at High School in the Gopalpora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam on Tuesday, 31 May. The woman, a resident of Samba (Jammu division), received critical gunshot injuries and succumbed after being shifted to the hospital.

The incident sparked protests by several people who have blocked a road in Kulgam. They demanded relocation, claiming that they were not feeling safe in Srinagar.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and former J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah later condoled her death.

Rajni Bala's funeral was conducted in Samba on Wednesday, 1 June.

(With inputs from PTI and The Indian Express.)