Terrorists fired at an employee of the revenue department in Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday afternoon. The victim, a Kashmiri Pandit, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital in Srinagar, where he died a little while later.
The incident took place at the Tehsildar office in Chadoora in central Kashmir. The victim has been identified as Rahul Bhat, a member of the Kashmiri Pandit community.
The Kashmir Zone Police tweeted after the incident, “Terrorists fired upon one employee namely Shri Rahul Bhat from minority community in Tehsildar office Chadoora, Budgam.”
Police have launched a hunt to track down the assailants.
Condoling Bhat’s demise, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah tweeted, “I unequivocally condemn the murderous militant attack on Rahul Bhatt. Rahul was a government employee working in the Tehsil office in Chadoora where he was attacked. Targeted killings continue & a sense of fear grows unchecked. My heartfelt condolences to Rahul’s family. RIP.”
However, this is not the first incident of Kashmiri Pandits being targeted in the valley. On April 4, terrorists gunned down a Kashmiri Pandit identified as Bal Krishan in Chotigam village of Shopian district, leaving him injured. The attack was followed by violence against two other labourers from Bihar, Patlashwar Kumar and Jakku Choudhary in Lajoora village of Pulwama district.
According to J&K Police data, targeted killings have claimed the lives of over 23 civilians in the Kashmir Valley since October 2021.
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