Fear, anger grip locals after suspected terrorist attack on Kashmiri Pandit in Shopian

Balkrishna, commonly known as Sonu in the Chotigam village, suffered three bullet injuries in his arm, leg and abdomen when terrorists shot at him outside his medical store in Shopian`s Chotigam village.

Jammu: Fear, panic and anger has gripped people in a remote village of Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian after a Kashmiri Pandit was shot and injured by a suspected terrorist last evening.

Balkrishna, commonly known as Sonu in the Chotigam village, suffered three bullet injuries in his arm, leg and abdomen when terrorists shot at him outside his medical store. He survived the attack and is recovering in the Army hospital in Srinagar, but this attack has frightened the whole village. Since the nineties when mass migration of Pandits happened from Kashmir it's the first such kind of incident to have occurred in this small village where only two pandit families are residing with Muslims for the last 32 years. 

The local Imam of the village mosque expressed grief over this incident and said this is not what Islam teaches us, Islam is the religion of peace.  Mir Ghulam Rasool (Imam) said, “This kind of incident happened for the first time here. We used to live like relatives here not neighbours, I only don't condemn but am very upset. Kashmir was already having bad name now our village too has a bad name.” 

This Pandit family did not migrate in the nineties during the Kashmiri Hindus' exodus. They along with the other Pandit family are living with the local Muslims of the village happily for the last three decades. They have land, apple orchards and a medical shop in front of the home. But what happened on Monday evening has shaken them, for the first time in 32 years the family members say that they feel insecure. 

Balakrishna's brother Anil Kumar, an eyewitness in this incident, said "Till yesterday there was no fear but now we feel insecure.” He said they never imagined that this incident would happen to them. “People (Pandits) want to come but how will they survive in those conditions, local villagers are very helpful and have remained in our support since 90ties but in those conditions they too feel helpless,” Anil said. 

Describing the incident in a shaky voice, Anil said, "I was outside the shop, two people came on a bike, stopped near shop and one went inside, fired at him, he got three bullets."

There were hundreds of villagers visiting since morning to Sonu's house inquiring about his health and trying to console them. Locals don't want that they should leave the village as it will make the gap widen more. 

Bilal Ahmad, the lone friend of Balkrishna, said that not only they are sacred but the Muslims of the area are scared too. “No one knows who did it who is behind it but whosoever has done this did bad, we don't want to repeat what happened 30 years before.” 

Since Sunday evening the way attacks are happening on non-locals had created a new challenge for security forces. At Chotigam, a minority guard post is established by the police, while such posts are also being planned in many areas where minorities are residing. The other challenge for forces is to protect the thousands of non-local labourers who have reached Kashmir and are working in different remote areas. 

It is pertinent to mention that since Sunday evening unknown terrorists have twice attacked four non-local labourers— two from Pathankot and two from Bihar. These incidents have raised concern among security forces as in Kashmir.