Migrant Worker Shot Dead By Terrorists In Jammu And Kashmir's Anantnag, Probe On

This is the first attack on a non-Kashmiri worker this year. Last year, several non-locals and Kashmiri Pandits were targeted and killed in the Kashmir valley.

New Delhi: Terrorists killed a civilian from Udhampur district of Jammu region at Ashajipora area in Anantnag, South Kashmir, on Monday evening. The victim, Deepak, worked at a private circus mela near Janglaat Mandi. The police said they have registered a case and are investigating the incident. The security forces launched a search operation to catch the attackers, but they escaped.

This is the first attack on a non-Kashmiri worker this year. Last year, several non-locals and Kashmiri Pandits were targeted and killed in the Valley. The police claimed to have eliminated all the terrorists involved in those killings. The terrorist group KFF (Kashmir Freedom Fighters) claimed responsibility for the attack.

All political parties condemned the attack. PDP chief and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted that Deepak’s killing showed the failure of GOI’s policy in J&K.

"Deeply anguished by yet another attack on an innocent civilian in Anantnag. Deepu eked out his living by working at an amusement park. My heart goes out to his family in this hour of grief. This speaks volumes about GOI’s policy which have been a monumental failure in J&K," Mufti said.

National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted that he was pained by the attack and condemned it unequivocally. He prayed for Deepak’s soul to rest in peace. "Pained by the news of yet another targeted attack against a civilian in Anantnag area of South Kashmir. The murder of Deepak who worked with a traveling circus to earn an honest living is an abomination & I condemn this militant attack unreservedly. May Deepak’s soul rest in peace," Abdullah wrote on Twitter.

Jammu Kashmir BJP unit also issued a statement denouncing the killing as barbaric and expressing sympathy to Deepak’s family. They urged the police to nab the culprits behind the attack.