Three civilians shot dead by militants in Kashmir

Three civilians, including a Kashmiri Pandit businessman, were shot dead by unidentified militants in separate incidents in the Valley on Tuesday.

In the first incident assailants fired upon the owner of Bindroo Medicate namely, Makhan Lal Bindroo near Iqbal Park in Srinagar.

A police official said 68-year-Bindroo was shot by the assailants from point-blank range while he was at his pharmacy dispensing medicines. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead.

Bindroo was one of the few among his community who did not migrate out of Kashmir after the onset of militancy in 1990. He stayed back along with his wife to continue operating his pharmacy Bindroo Medicate.

Just a few hours later, a non-local street vendor, selling Bhelpuri, was shot dead by unidentified militants in Lal Bazar area on the outskirts of Srinagar city. The deceased was identified as Virender Paswan, a resident of Bihar.

In the third attack of the day, unidentified militants shot dead a civilian in Hajin area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district. A police official said that the gunmen fired upon one Mohammad Shafi (President of Sumo Cab Association, Naidkhai) at Shahgund, Hajin.

No militant organisation claimed responsibility for the killings so far.

On February 17, militants had shot dead Aakash Mehra, son of owner of a popular eatery in Sonwar area of Srinagar. Prior to that militants shot dead a jeweler, Satpal Nischal, in Sarai Bala area, near city center Lal Chowk on December 31 in similar circumstances.

The 70-year-old jeweler from Punjab settled in Srinagar for the past four decades was shot dead months after he got a domicile certificate and reportedly purchased a shop and a house in Srinagar.

The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be frontal organisation of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit, while claiming responsibility for the killing had said the new domicile law was “unacceptable” and everyone other than indigenous Kashmiris would be treated as "occupiers” if they purchase property in J&K.

"More to come," TRF said then in a statement circulated through social media.