Terrorists kill three, including Kashmiri Pandit in Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar – In Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists have killed three civilians in three hours. The killed includes a Kashmiri Pandit medical shop owner. Also, a migrant from another state selling food items in Srinagar’s Lalbazar area has been killed. Terrorist outfits have been frustrated by the security forces’ action in Jammu and Kashmir. It is being said that it is out of this frustration that ordinary civilians are being targeted. Efforts are also underway to rehabilitate Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced in the 1990s. However, experts say that Kashmiri Pandits are being targeted to create panic among them to not return to the valley.

Terrorists stormed into a medical shop near Iqbal Park, on Hari Singh Street, in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir and fired four shots at Makhan Lal Bindroo, the owner of the shop. An hour after the incident, Virender Paswan, a street vendor selling Panipuri, was killed in Srinagar’s Lalbazar area. A few minutes later, a taxi driver named Mohammad Shafi Lone was also killed in Bandipora in north Kashmir. The three murders took place in just three hours on Tuesday. The Resistance Front (TRF), renamed Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for all three killings. TRF’s Umar Vani has threatened that more such killings will be carried out.

Makhan Lal Bindroo, who was killed in a terrorist attack, had decided to stay in Jammu and Kashmir in the 1990s when terrorism was at its peak and thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were fleeing. In all these years, Bindroo has witnessed several terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. But he was running his medical store here fearlessly. His son is a doctor and runs a clinic on the first floor of the same medical store. His daughter is a professor.

After the murder of her father, Makhan Lal Bindroo’s daughter Dr. Samruddhi Bindroo challenged the terrorists. Samruddhi told the terrorists, ‘The one who shot my father should come before me. My father has empowered me with knowledge through education and those playing dirty politics have given guns and stones in your hands and are using you. Life cannot be lived with guns, stones and hatred.’

Samruddhi challenged the terrorists to confront her with education and defeat her in a debate. ‘We started from scratch in this place. My father started his journey on a bicycle. I became an assistant professor. My brother became a renowned diabetologist. My mother manages the shop. These are the achievements of my father’, Samruddhi said.

Two years ago, the government abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir. After this, Pakistan and the terrorist organisation expected anarchy and violence in Jammu-Kashmir. But Jammu-Kashmir remained quiet because of the actions of the Indian security forces and the terrorist organisations were shocked. After this, due to some provisions made by the government, those who were from outside Jammu and Kashmir but had been living here for many years were also allowed to get resident certificates and buy land in Jammu and Kashmir. The government started the work for rehabilitating the Kashmiri Pandits, who had fled in the 1990 decade, back in Kashmir and handing over the properties they left behind at that time. This has made the Pakistani terrorist organisations restless. That is why analysts claim that Kashmiri Pandits and labourers and truck drivers from other states are being targeted by terrorists and created terror.

Meanwhile, following these killings, strong protests were held in Jammu-Kashmir against terrorists. There were loud slogans against Pakistan. The killings were also condemned at all levels. Security forces have arrested six Lashkar-e-Taiba militants from Bandipora following the killings.

Security review by Jammu and Kashmir administration

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu-Kashmir reviewed the security situation in the Union territory following the three killings in a single day. Home Minister Amit Shah also will be visiting Kashmir soon, according to reports. Home Minister Shah had visited Jammu-Kashmir after the abrogation of article 370 and this will be his first Jammu-Kashmir visit in two years since then. Against this backdrop, the security arrangements are being reviewed by the administration.