A civilian, who worked as a salesman at a shop owned by a Kashmiri Pandit, was shot dead by militants in Srinagar on Monday evening.
“Preliminary investigation has revealed that terrorists fired upon the civilian at Bohri Kadal [in the old city]. In this terror incident, he sustained critical gunshot injuries and was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital. However, he succumbed to his injuries,” a police spokesman said.
The victim was identified as Mohammad Ibrahim Khan, 45, son of Ghulam Mohammad Khan, a resident of Astengoo area in Bandipora.
“An investigation is in progress and officers continue to work to establish the circumstances that led to this terror crime,” the police said.
The incident took place at 8:10 p.m. in the area that houses the famous spice market of Gadde Kocha. Initial reports suggested the victim was a salesman at the spice shop owned by a Kashmiri Pandit, who had reopened the shop after 29 years in 2019.
This is the second such attack in the past 24 hours in Srinagar. An off-duty policeman was killed outside his house in Srinagar’s Batamaloo area on Sunday evening. Militants carried out nine targeted killings in Srinagar in the last two months, which included five civilians who belonged to the minority communities.
The regional parties condemned the killings by militants in the capital.
“The dastardly killing of Ibrahim is reprehensible and I unreservedly condemn it. Unfortunately, Ibrahim is the latest in a series of targeted killings in the Valley, especially Srinagar,” former Chief Minister and National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah said.
