J&K: Three BJP-members killed; "sacrifices won't be forgotten," says Nadda
Hours after three members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam by militants, party President JP Nadda on Friday said their sacrifices won't go in vain. Among the deceased is Fida Hussain Yatoo, the district general secretary of the BJYM, the youth wing of the saffron party. The other two are Umar Ramzan Hajam and Umar Rashid Beig.
BJP members attacked in evening: Police
A statement said Kulgam Police received information about an incident in YK Pora village around 8:20 pm. "Preliminary investigations revealed that terrorists fired upon three BJP workers at Eidgah YK Pora, due to which they got injured. They were shifted to a nearby hospital...where they were declared as brought dead," the statement read. A police case was registered and the area cordoned off.
It is a cowardly attack: Nadda
The brutal murders were condemned in strong words by Nadda. "Terrorists killed three leaders, including district BJP Yuva Morcha General Secretary Fida Hussain, in a cowardly attack in Kulgam in Jammu and Kashmir. The death of such patriots is a big loss for the country," he tweeted in Hindi, adding that the whole society is grieving with the bereaved families.
The sacrifices won't go in vain: Nadda
Manoj Sinha reacted strongly; former deputy CM blamed NC, PDP
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also fumed. He said, "Perpetrators of violence are the enemies of humanity and such cowardly acts cannot be justified." Separately, former deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta blamed statements of National Conference and PDP's leaders for the bloodshed. "I feel the provocations by the leaders of NC and PDP, who are trying to reactivate themselves, are behind such incidents," Gupta said.
Attempt to silence those wanting to hoist the tricolor: Gupta
"There is an attempt to scuttle the voice of those who hold aloft the tricolor in the Kashmir Valley but it won't deter us and the wave of nationalism won't stop. The matter is being investigated," Gupta added.
Nine BJP members killed in Kashmir in one year
As many as nine BJP leaders have been murdered in Kashmir in one year. On July 8, Sheikh Waseem Bari, his father, and brother, all of whom were with BJP, were killed in Bandipore. A month earlier, on August 9, Abdul Hameed Najar was attacked, leading to his demise a day later. On August 6, BJP sarpanch, Sajad Ahmad Khanday, was murdered in Qazigund.