An employee at the Tehsildar's Office in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district succumbed to his wounds after he was injured during a shooting on Thursday, 12 May. The Kashmir Zone Police claimed that the incident was a terrorist attack.
The incident occurred at the Chadoora village, and the man was identified as Rahul Bhat.
"The injured was immediately brought to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, Srinagar for treatment where he succumbed to his injuries. Preliminary investigation reveals that 2 terrorists are involved in this heinous crime and have used pistol for committing this crime," news agency ANI quoted the police as saying.
The victim's father, meanwhile, called for an inquiry into the incident.
"Being hit inside an office isn't an ordinary matter. It means it was deliberate, a murder. There should be an inquiry. He was a helpful man. He left behind his wife and 7-yr-old daughter," he told ANI.
Earlier, J&K Lieutenant Governor strongly condemned the "barbaric killing" of Rahul Bhat by terrorists at Budgam.
"Those behind this despicable terror attack will not go unpunished. J&K government stands in solidarity with the bereaved family in this hour of grief," the office of the Lt Governor quoted him as saying.
Terrorism on the Rise in the Valley
The Kashmir Valley is in the midst of another surge of militant attacks on civilians, non-locals, and security forces.
In the first two days of the holy month of Ramadan, suspected militants shot at and injured four non-local workers in South Kashmir.
As per the state police, around 41 militants were killed in the first three months of 2022, while as many as 13 militants were killed in eight encounters in March alone, and 21 militants were killed in 12 gunfights in January.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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