J&K: 2 shot dead including terrorist who killed Kashmiri Pandit
Two terrorists were shot dead in a joint operation by the Army and the police at Padgampora village of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Tuesday. Among those killed was the terrorist who killed Sanjay Sharma, a Kashmiri Pandit (KP) who worked as a bank security guard, on Sunday. The terrorist was identified as Aqib Mustaq Bhat of Pulwama.
Bhat was associated with Hizbul, LeT offshoot
The encounter reportedly began at 1:30 am after security forces were tipped off about two terrorists hiding in Awantipora tehsil, Pulwama. A gunfight ensued, and the terrorists were killed; their bodies were retrieved later. The Kashmir Police tweeted that Bhat had earlier worked with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) but was currently associated with The Resistance Front (TRF), which is a local offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Sharma latest KP to be killed in months
Sharma (45) was allegedly the most recent Hindu civilian to be killed in the last four months. Terrorists carried out a string of targeted attacks since the second half of 2021 on Kashmiri Pandits (KP) and non-locals. Over 40 people were killed in similar attacks last year, including KPs and security officials, while official data showed that 28 migrant workers were killed since 2017.
Police confirmed Bhat as Sharma's killer
Twitter Post
Pandit body urges government to replace L-G
Meanwhile, Kashmiri Pandit Sanghrash Samiti (KPSS), a prominent organization of KPs in the Valley, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to remove Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha, under whose watch the killings have been taking place. In a statement, KPSS requested the government "to rest their personal agendas and self-conceit and take the issue seriously."
If militancy ended, then who killed Sharma: Mehbooba Mufti
Former Chief Minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and People's Democratic Party (PDP) chief, Mehbooba Mufti on Monday visited Sharma's family in Achan village of Pulwama. She called for Kashmiri Muslims to protect KPs from "attackers." She also attacked the Centre over Sharma's death, asking who killed him if the government claims that militancy has ended in the Valley.
A string of killings prompted protests last year
In May 2022, terrorists shot dead Rahul Bhat (35), an employee in the Tehsildar office at Chadoora in Budgam district. The same month, terrorists opened fire at a school teacher in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam, killing her. Contrary to the government's claim of declining militancy in the region, the number of attacks has steadily increased over the last two years.
