Civilians shot dead by gunmen in Kashmir’s Srinagar city

Five civilian killings have taken place in a span of three days in Kashmir, with four of them in Srinagar which is perceived as relatively safe place among 10 districts of Kashmir.

Five civilians including two Kashmiri Pandits have been killed in Kashmir valley since Tuesday, October 5.

On Tuesday, three civilians were killed in less than 90 minutes, including a famous Kashmiri Pandit businessman Makhan Lal Bindroo.

While two civilians, including a Bihar resident who used to sell ‘Golgappa’ and ‘Bhelpuri’, were killed in Srinagar, one civilian was shot dead in Bandipora.

The ‘gunmen’ today also shot dead two government school teachers, one of them a female, in the Eidgah neighbourhood of the city.

Deepak Chand was a teacher at Sangam School in Srinagar while Satinder Kour was the principal. The lady was a Sikh, while Chand is a Kashmiri Pandit. They were inhabitants of Alochibagh in Safa Kadal area of the Srinagar city.

According to police sources, the duo was attacked by militants who opened fire on them.

With civilian killings, the GoI’s false narrative of normalcy is shattered: Mehbooba Mufti

With the recent series of civilian deaths in the Kashmir Valley, former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti claimed that the Government of India’s (GoI) fake narrative of normality is in disarray.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to state that with the latest spate of civilian deaths in Kashmir, the GOI’s false narrative of normalcy lies in tatters.

Mehbooba added that a totally desensitized government has undervalued human lives and driven J-K deeper into risk and instability through its harsh collective punishment policies, all in the name of security.

“Disturbing to see the deteriorating situation in Kashmir where a minuscule minority is the latest target. GOI’s claims of building a Naya Kashmir has actually turned it into a hellhole. Its sole interest is to use Kashmir as a milch cow for its electoral interests,” she tweeted on Thursday.

Besides other parties, APHC also condemns the killings

Meanwhile, the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), chaired by Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, expressed sorrow and grief and strongly denounced the killings.

According to the APHC, all killings, which are acts of sheer aggression against fellow citizens and humanity, are severely condemned.

Apart from APHC, all local political leaders and their respective parties have condemned the civilian killings.

Srinagar road to be renamed as ‘Shaheed Makhan Lal Bindroo Road’

On Wednesday, Srinagar city’s Mayor Junaid Azim Mattoo decided to present a resolution to rename a road in honour of a deceased civilian Makhan Lal Bindroo.

As a homage to his services to society, the Mayor announced, the route between Haft Chinar Chowk to Jehangir Chowk (where Bindroo Medicate is located) will be called Shaheed Makhan Lal Bindroo Road.

Junaid Azim stated that a resolution to this effect will be formally submitted in the Srinagar Municipal Corporation’s General Council.

25 political workers and civilians killed in Kashmir this year

It is pertinent to mention here that so far, gunmen in the Kashmir valley have murdered over 25 political workers and civilians in targeted killings.

According to sources, the Srinagar district saw 10 deaths, followed by five in Kulgam, four in the Tral region of the Awantipora police district, two each in Baramulla and Anantnag, and one each in Budgam and Bandipora.

In south Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama police districts, a hotbed of militancy, there have been no civilian or political killings this year. Also, Ganderbal in central Kashmir and Kupwara in north Kashmir have also been spared.

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Aasif Ganaie

Aasif is a journalist and a news enthusiast based in Jammu & Kashmir. He voyages to explore and uncover the stories More »
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