Kashmiri Pandit shot dead, brother injured in terrorist attack in J&K

Srinagar: A Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead by terrorists at an apple orchard in Shopian district on Tuesday. His brother was injured in the firing, police said.

This comes about three months after the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit at a government office in Budgam sparked widespread protests by the community. Since then, over 5000 Kashmiri Pandit employees have not been attending their duties, fearing targeted attacks. They are demanding relocation to Jammu till the time situation in the Valley improves.

"Terrorists fired upon civilians in an apple orchard in Chotipora area of #Shopian. One person died and one was injured. Both belong to minority communities. The injured person has been shifted to hospital. The area was cordoned off. Further details shall follow," Kashmir police tweeted from its official handle.

The victim of the terrorist attack has been identified as Sunil Kumar. His brother Pintu Kumar was injured in the incident.

Kashmir has been witnessing a series of targeted killings since October last year. Many of the victims were migrant workers or Kashmiri Pandits.

In October, seven civilians were killed in five days -- among them a Kashmiri Pandit, a Sikh, and two migrant Hindus.

Shortly after, many Kashmiri Pandit families fled their homes in the Valley.

In May, terrorists barged into the tehsildar's office in Budgam and shot dead 36-year-old Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit who received a government job under a package for the community that was forced to flee the Valley during the wave of militancy in the 1990s.

The killing triggered a wave of protests by the minority community of the state. Kashmiri Pandits held demonstrations during which they raised slogans against the central government and questioned if they brought them back to the Valley to get killed.