In yet another incident of targeted attacks on minorities in Jammu and Kashmir, a Hindu school teacher was fired at by terrorists in the Kulgam district of the Kashmir region. 36-year-old Rajni Bala, a resident of Samba in the Jammu region, sustained injuries when terrorists fired at her in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam where she was posted as a teacher, police said. She was critically injured and rushed to the hospital where doctors declared her dead on arrival. The police have said that the terrorists involved in the gruesome crime will be soon identified and neutralised.
The incident happened at a High School in the Gopalpora area of Kulgam. The area has been cordoned off.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah termed the attack on the teacher a “despicable” act.
“Rajni was from Samba District of Jammu province. A government teacher working in Kulgam area of South Kashmir, she lost her life in a despicable targeted attack. My heart goes out to her husband Raj Kumar & the rest of her family. Another home irreparably damaged by violence,” he said.
“This is yet another targeted killing in a long list of recent attacks directed at unarmed civilians. Words of condemnation & condolence ring hollow as do the assurances of the government that they will not rest till situation normalises. May the deceased rest in peace,” Mr Abdullah added.
Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) President Mehbooba Mufti said despite the Centre’s claims of normalcy in Kashmir, targeted killings were on the rise.
“Despite GOIs fake claims about Kashmir being normal, it’s obvious that targeted civilian killings are on the rise & a deep cause of concern. Condemn this act of cowardice which sadly plays into the vicious anti-Muslim narrative spun by BJP,” she tweeted.
Jammu and Kashmir People’s Conference leader Sajad Lone also condemned the killing, saying “cowardice has yet again plummeted to shameless depths”.
“A teacher, an innocent woman hailing from Samba, has been shot dead in Kulgam. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur said he strongly condemned the attack. “Yet another dastardly act of terrorism in Kulgam. Attacking unarmed civilians, that too women, is no bravery but an act of frustration,” he added.
Recently, a government employee Rahul Bhat was shot dead by terrorists inside his office in central Kashmir’s Budgam district triggering massive protests in the region. Mr Bhat was gunned down by terrorists inside the Tehsil office in Chadoora town three weeks ago. He had got the job of a clerk under the special employment package for migrants in 2010-11.
Barely a week ago, Amreen Bhat, a 35-year-old social media influencer, was shot dead by terrorists in the Budgam district. A 10-year-old, the woman’s nephew, was also injured in the attack. The attack was carried out by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, police had said.
This is the seventh targeted killing in Kashmir this month. While three of the victims were off-duty policemen, four were civilians.
Hindu community members in the valley, including Rahul Bhat’s family, have accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of making young Kashmiri Hindus “cannon fodder” in the name of rehabilitation of the community.
They have also said the incident has shattered their dream of resettling permanently in the valley.
“You (BJP) have formulated a plan to get young Kashmiri Pandits killed in the name of giving them jobs and rehabilitating them,” Soon Nath Bhat, a relative of Rahul Bhat had said.
Such people are “sitting ducks” for terrorists who are using them for “target practice”, he said.
The police and security forces have been on high alert amid increasing cases of targeted killings. Earlier today, two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Pulwama district, the police said. According to them, one of the terrorists killed was involved in civilian killings.
The encounter broke out at Rajpora in the Awantipora area of Pulwama district late on Monday night after security forces launched an anti-terror operation, a police official told news agency PTI.