Terrorists group Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the attack that left three BJP workers, including a district youth wing leader dead on Thursday, Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar told PTI on Friday, 30 October.
Late on Thursday, terrorists shot dead the three men in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kulgam. The three were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment where they were declared as brought dead, Jammu and Kashmir Police said.
“Today, at about 2020 hours, Kulgam police received information about a terror crime incident at Y K Pora, where terrorists had fired upon three BJP workers. Preliminary investigations revealed that terrorists fired upon three BJP workers at Eidgah Y K Pora, due to which they got injured. They were shifted to nearby hospital… where they were declared as brought dead,” the police said in an official statement.
Shortly after, PM Modi took to Twitter to condemn the killing, saying that the three were “bright youngsters doing excellent work in J&K”.
The deceased have been identified as Fida Hussain Itoo (BJYM District General Secretary Kulgam), Umer Rashid Beigh (BJYM District Executive Member Kulgam), Umer Hanan (BJYM District General Secretary Kulgam).
In a tweet, BJP’s J&K wing said that those responsible for the attack would not be spared.
Police said Kulgam Police received information about an incident at YK Pora village where terrorists had fired upon three BJP workers and senior police officers reached the spot, IANS reported.
The police have registered a case and an investigation is in progress. The area has been cordoned off and a search is being carried out.
The Indian Express said that the Resistance Front (TRF), reportedly a shadow group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
This is not the first such attack on the BJP. On 6 August, a Jammu and Kashmir sarpanch was shot dead by terrorists outside his residence near Kulgam. The sarpanch, identified as Sajad Ahmed Khandey, belonged to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and was shot from a close range, reported IANS. He was reportedly the district vice-president for the party in Kulgam.
Two days prior to that, another sarpanch in Kulgam was critically injured in a militant attack. According to the police, militants had barged into Sarpanch Arif Ahmad's house in Akhran village of Kulgam on Tuesday and opened fire from close range. Ahmad, too, is reportedly a member of the BJP.
In early July, former Bandipora BJP president Wasim Bari, his father and brother were killed after terrorists opened fire at them.
Politicians Condemn Attack
Soon after the news broke, J&K politicians such as National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah and People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti took to Twitter to condemn the attack.
(With inputs from ANI and IANS.)
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