Jammu and Kashmir: Terrorists gun down police constable in Pulwama
Jammu and Kashmir Police constable Riyaz Ahmad Thoker was shot dead by a suspected terrorist at his Pulwama residence on Friday. "Special Police Officer Riyaz Ahmad Thoker, who was shot at and injured by a terrorist in the Gudaroo area of Pulwama, succumbs to his injuries," the Kashmir Zone Police said. This is the second killing in the Valley in the last 24 hours.
Protests across J&K over Kashmiri Pandit's killing
On Thursday evening, Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, who worked at the tehsil office at Chadoora in the Budgam district of J&K was gunned down by terrorists. The killing led to massive protests across the state with government officials staging a demonstration outside J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha's house in Srinagar.
'Is this how government will take us back to Valley?'
Questioning the safety of Pandits, the victim's father Bitta Ji Bhat, a retired Assistant Police Sub Inspector based in Jammu, asked, "Is this how the government will take us back home to the Valley?" "The government has totally failed to protect Kashmiri Pandits," he added.
Denied permission to visit Bhat's family, claims Mehbooba Mufti
Meanwhile, former J&K chief minister and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti claimed that she had been placed under house arrest and denied permission to visit Bhat's family in Budgam and express solidarity with the protesting Kashmiri Pandits. The police, however, refused to comment on Mufti's claim. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah also condemned both the killings and tweeted "Targeted killings continue unabated."
Check out Mufti's tweet
This is what Omar Abdullah tweeted
Abdullah slams use of tear smoke shells to disperse protesters
Abdullah also slammed the police for using tear smoke shells to disperse the protesting Kashmiri Pandits and termed the police's high-handedness as "shameful". "This is not new for the people of Kashmir because when all the administration has is a hammer every problem resembles a nail. If the LG's government can't protect KPs (Kashmiri Pandits), they have a right to protest," he tweeted.
Terror group 'Kashmir Tigers' claimed responsibility for attack
The police said two militants were involved in Bhat's killing. They shot him at point-blank with a pistol. Following the attack, a joint team of J&K Police, Army, and paramilitary forces cordoned off the area and a search operation was launched. According to a report by India Today, the little-known terror group Kashmir Tigers claimed responsibility for the attack.
