“The two hardest things to say in life are hello for the first time and goodbye for the last”: In another targeted killing, Kashmiri Pandit - Puran Krishan Bhat shot dead by terrorists in J&K, Kashmir Freedom Fighter terrorist group claimed responsibility

In another targeted killing, a Kashmiri Pandit - Puran Krishan Bhat - was shot dead allegedly by terrorists in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Deputy inspector general of police Sujit Kumar said the Kashmir Freedom Fighter (KFF) group, the proxy name of a terrorist group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

People across Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday protested against the killing of a Kashmiri pandit in south Kashmir's Shopain district. Hundreds of protesting displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees blocked the Jammu-Akhnoor road to protest the latest targeted killing of their community members.

Notably, Puran Krishan Bhat was fired upon by terrorists near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district this afternoon, resulting in his death. Eyewitnesses told the Kashmir News Service (KNS), that the demonstrations were also held in South Kashmir's Kulgam, Shopain district and Baramulla, Kupwara, and Bandipora areas of North Kashmir and other areas close to Kashmiri Pandit transit camps.

Many of those protesting were seen carrying candles to register their protest," they said and demanded that the administration of the Union Territory should ensure that Kashmiri Pandits are safe in the Valley.

Bhat's wife and the two children were in a state of shock as relatives and neighbors, who rushed there, were seen consoling them.

"The news of his death came as a shock for us. They are brutes who do not want any Indian nationalist in the Valley," a relative of Bhat said.

"The government must do something to stop such killings. What wrong did he do to anyone?" a neighbor said.

"We have always been targeted for being who we are, and there has been no security despite claims from the government," said on of the protester at Shopain.

"No religion calls for the killing of innocents, and both Hindus and Muslims are being targeted here in Kashmir. It is only a human who dies here. I hope this ends," said another protester at Bandipora.

"Our worst fears have once again come true with the latest killing. We have already fled the valley otherwise we feel many of us have been done to death", one of the protesters, Nikhil Kaul said.

He said they have been saying that the situation in the valley is not safe for them but this government remained unmoved and paid no heed to their pleas for relocation.

Further several Civil society members in several districts of Kashmir took out a candlelight march even as condemnations poured in against the killing of Bhat.

"We condemn the killing of innocents in Kashmir… we stand in solidarity with the bereaved family,” said one of the protesters at Kupwara.

Meanwhile, Various Civil Society groups in Srinagar on Sunday lodged protests against the killing of Kashmiri Pandit, Puran Krishan Bhat who was shot dead by terrorists in Shopian yesterday. In a tweet, the Srinagar district administration said, "Various Civil Society groups of Srinagar lodged a protest at Lal Chowk against the Killing of Puran Krishan Bhat in Shopian yesterday. People from all walks of life participated in a peaceful candle March, and expressed solidarity with the family of the deceased."(KNS)

Who was Puran Krishan Bhat?

Belonging to the Kashmiri pandit community, Puran Krishan Bhat was a fruit seller in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir and was residing in the area with his family. He also had relatives in Jammu, who were left distraught after his killing.

Bhat was 43 years old and was the sole breadwinner of his family. He used to live in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian with his wife and two children, and had never faced any problems in the area before, said his relative to PTI.

Earlier, the farmer’s family used to live in Jammu but he had shifted them to Shopian in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. He had two children – one son in Class 5 and a daughter in Class 7. Bhat had planned to visit his apple orchard on the day of his death, according to media reports.

Kashmiri pundits across the valley have been left outraged over the killing of Puran Krishan Bhat, who was the seventh person in the community shot dead by terrorists since 2020. Over the last five months, several Kashmiri pundits have been killed, including a clerk named Rahul Bhat and a teacher named Rajni Bala.

Top updates on Kashmiri Pandit's killing in Shopian

• The area has been cordoned off and a hunt has been launched to arrest the assailants.
• The DIG said the initial investigation has revealed that one terrorist fired upon Bhat. He said there was security for this cluster. "We are looking at the reason (for the lapse). He had gone out on a scooter and just returned to his home," he added.
• Deputy commissioner of Shopian Sachin Kumar Vaishya said Bhat's body will be taken to Jammu where the last rites will be performed.
• Lieutenant governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha and political leaders condemned the killing. "Attack on Puran Krishan Bhat by terrorists in Shopian is a dastardly act of cowardice. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. I assure the people that the perpetrators and those aiding and abetting terrorists will be severely punished," Sinha tweeted.
• National Conference's vice president Omar Abdullah termed the attack reprehensible. "I unequivocally condemn this attack in which Pooran Krishan Bhat has lost his life. I send my heartfelt condolences to his family. May Pooran Ji’s soul rests in peace," he said in a tweet.
• The PDP said while the Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting for the last five months demanding their relocation after Rahul Bhat was shot dead in May, the "LG administration in their hubris kept turning a blind eye to their plight".
• BJP general secretary (organization) Ashok Koul condemned the "barbaric" killing and offered his condolences to the family.
• As the news of the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit broke out, the protesters marched towards the main road and blocked the highway, amid high-pitch sloganeering to denounce the target killings by terrorists.
• Rashtriya Bajrang Dal activists also joined the protesters and set ablaze an effigy of Pakistan to condemn the frequent target killings by terrorists in the Valley.
• The Valley has witnessed a spate of targeted killings since October last year. Several Hindus, including migrant workers, have been killed.
• Kashmiri Pandits have long fretted over their place in the region. Most of an estimated 200,000 of them fled Kashmir in the 1990s during the peak of terrorism. Some 4,000 returned after 2010 as part of a government resettlement plan that provided them with jobs and housing.

References:

knskashmir.com