KULGAM: A terrorist shot dead a bank employee in Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday, the eighth targeted killing in the Valley since May 1 and the third of a non-Muslim government official. According to authorities, Vijay Kumar, a manager with the Ellaqui Dehati Bank, got severe gunshot wounds and died on his way to the hospital. He had recently joined the Kulgam branch, having formerly lived in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan.
The murder of the bank manager occurred within 24 hours of two big occurrences in the neighbouring Shopian area. Farooq Ahmad Sheikh, a civilian, was injured in a targeted terror attack inside his home; three troops were hurt in another incident following an explosion in their vehicle. The latest incident comes only two days after militants assassinated Rajni Bala, a Hindu teacher from Jammu, outside a school in Kulgam.
#WATCH | J&K: Terrorist fires at bank manager at Ellaqie Dehati Bank at Areh Mohanpora in Kulgam district.
The bank manager later succumbed to his injuries.
(CCTV visuals) pic.twitter.com/uIxVS29KVI
— ANI (@ANI) June 2, 2022
The assassination gathered National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a huddle, where they are said to have addressed the Union Territory’s security condition. The RAW chief was also in attendance. On Friday, Shah will also preside over a high-level conference to assess the preparations for the annual Amarnath yatra, which will resume after a two-year hiatus owing to the COVID-19 epidemic. Hundreds of Kashmiri Pandits protested the targeted killings in Srinagar on Thursday. Many of them, particularly government personnel, have vowed to relocate to the Jammu area, putting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s job promise in peril.
To prevent them from fleeing, the Union Territory government erected barriers and sealed the gates to transit camps housing over 4,000 Pandits. Meanwhile, Srinagar Airport officials have denied a media claim that Kashmiri Pandits are flying out in large numbers. ‘We vehemently refute this dramatic rumour-mongering. Every day, we serve between 16,000 and 18,000 travellers. The number of passengers was typical today. There is no rush from the minority community, as has been reported… Please do not disseminate such rumours,’ the airport said on Twitter.
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