Locals across the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir took to the streets to protest the increased violence against minorities in the region. According to reports, there have been seven killings in the las five days. Two school teachers were killed in broad daylight in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar on Thursday. According to reports, the terrorists stormed the government school and shot a teacher and a principal. It was the second major incident in the valley within 48 hours. Three people, including a prominent pharmacist from Srinagar, were shot dead by terrorists earlier on Wednesday. In the last five days, at least seven civilians have been killed in what are being called “targeted killings”. Kashmiri Pandit groups have alleged that intelligence inputs of the targeted killings were ignored by the administration for months.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Police, both the victims in the recent attack were from the minority Sikh and Hindu communities. The teacher, Deepak Chand belonged to the Hindu community and the principal, Supinder Kour belonged to the Sikh community. Both the victims were brought to a hospital, where they succumbed to their injuries.
The recent killings in Jammu and Kashmir are reminiscent of the situation in 1990 when hundreds of innocent civilians were gunned down by extremist elements. Over the past few weeks, terror incidents in the valley have increased in terms of targeting local people, particularly Kashmiri Pandits.
Earlier on Tuesday, Makhan Lal Bindroo, a well-known pharmacist, was killed at his shop in Srinagar by assailants from The Resistance Front (TRF). The terror group claimed responsibility for the act, saying that he was working for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Along with him, a street vendor – Virendra Paswan, and president of the local taxi stand in Naidkhai – Mohammad Shafi Lone, were also shot dead on the same day. Some sources believe that the TRF, who has claimed responsibility for the killings in the valley, is a front for Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
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Speaking with the Hindu, J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said that the motive behind the killings is to ruin the communal harmony in the valley and create a sense of fear among the minority communities. Reportedly, as of October 2021, a total of 28 people have been killed, of which, five people belonged to the local Hindu and Sikh communities, and two persons were non-local Hindu labourers. At least 20 security personnel deployed in the valley have also been killed.
This is the first time in two years when the people of Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing an increased number of attacks since the Narendra Modi-led government scrapped Article 370 in August 2019. According to a report, many terror groups affiliated with the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT have infiltrated the Kashmir Valley from northern Kashmir.
