Image: ANI
Two men, identified as Monish Kumar and Ram Sagar, both migrant workers hailing from Uttar Pradesh were gravely injured in a grenade attack in Shopian. They succumbed to their injuries in hospital. According to the Kashmir Zone Police, the attacker has been taken into custody.
Hybrid #terrorist of proscribed #terror outfit LeT Imran Bashir Ganie of Harmen #Shopian who lobbed grenade #arrested by Shopian police. Further #investigation and raids are going on: ADGP Kashmir@JmuKmrPolice https://t.co/nP8xixR8GG
— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) October 17, 2022
The attacker has been identified as Bashir Ganie of the Laskar-e-Taiba (LeT), a terrorist organization that has been intermittently active in the Valley for decades. This is the third straight attack in Shopian where previously Puran Krishan Bhat was shot dead last Saturday and two brothers, Sunil Kumar Bhat and Pertimeber Nath Bhat were attacked in August. Sunil Kumar Bhat did not survive the attack.
Migrant workers, Kashmiri Pandits and members of the minority Hindu community have been constantly in the crosshairs of terrorists in Kashmir, with a spate of killings taking place here since October 2021.
The first migrant worker to be targeted was Virendar Paswan, who hailed from Bhagalpur in Bihar and worked as street food vendor. He was killed on October 5, 2021. In June, terrorists shot at two migrant labourers from Bihar – Dilkhush Kumar and Guri, who were working as brick kiln labourers in Magraypora in Chadoora. While Guri survived, Dilkhush died. In August 2022, Mohammed Amrez became the fourth migrant worker from Bihar to be killed by suspected terrorists. The labourer hailed from Madhepura. On September 2, a labourer identified as Muneerul Islam, who is said to hail from West Bengal, was injured when suspected terrorists opened fire upon him in the Ugergund Newa area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama area.
Meanwhile, non-migrant Kashmiri Pandits and Hindus remain in the crosshairs of terrorists. The Kashmiri Pandit community has had a turbulent past, with thousands forced to leave their homes in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Pakistan-backed militants in the region. However, even today over 800 non-migrant Kashmiri Pandit families still live in the Valley, mostly in refugee camps.
On October 5, 2021, Makhan Lal Bindroo, a well-known Kashmiri Pandit businessman who ran two medical stores in Srinagar including one started by his family in 1947, was shot dead by suspected militants. Others killed include Rahul Bhat, who worked at the revenue department in Budgam as a PM Package employee, Rajni Bala and Supinder Kaur, both school teachers. In August 2022, suspected terrorists shot at two brothers in Shopian. While Sunil Kumar Bhat died after suspected militants opened fire in an apple orchard in Chotipora village, Pertimber Nath Bhat survived. On October 15, Puran Krishan Bhat was shot dead by terrorists while he was on way to orchard in Chowdari Gund Shopian.
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