Srinagar Mayor urges all to jointly impede forces riving people in Jammu & Kashmir

Srinagar Mayor Junaid Azim Mattu on Friday came down heavily on the recent killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. Censuring terror activities, Mattu said that the last couple of days have been hard after losing precious lives. He urged all to responsibly and together impede the forces that are alienating people.

"Last couple of days have been hard. We have lost precious young lives to terror. The onus lies on all of us to collectively thwart these designs to fragment us - to drive us apart," Mattu stated.

The Srinagar Mayor also urged socio-political and religious leaders to come out of the sense of fear and put terror to rest.

"Social, political, and religious leaders should ensure they reach out and allay all fears," he said.

Are minorities (Sikhs/ Hindus) targeted in Jammu & Kashmir?

Upon being asked if minorities were being targeted in the recent spate of killings in Jammu & Kashmir, the Srinagar Mayor voiced that one should not 'shy away' from admitting the same. He further explained why Makhan Lal Bindroo, a Kashmiri Pandit who stayed back, and Dinesh Chand (one of the murdered teachers) were picked out by terrorists. 

"If you shy away from that. Why was Makhan Lal Bindroo killed? Why was Deepak Chand taken out of the line? There were eight to ten other teachers present in the school celebrating August 15 and who saluted to the flag, why was he singled out?" Mattu replied.

Security concerns over targeted killings in Kashmir valley

Since October 2, at least seven people have been killed by terrorists in Kashmir, including four minorities. Six of the deaths took place in Srinagar itself. 

A woman principal and a teacher were shot dead at point-blank range inside a government school in Srinagar on Thursday. Supinder Kaur, the principal of the Government Boys Higher Secondary School, and Deepak Chand were gunned down around at the school premises. 

Meanwhile, Makhan Lal Bindroo, a prominent Kashmiri Pandit and owner of Srinagar's most famous pharmacy, was shot dead at his shop on Tuesday.

A 'chaat' vendor, Virendra Paswan from Bihar, and another civilian, Mohammad Shafi Lone, were also killed on Tuesday in Srinagar and in Bandipora respectively. On Saturday, terrorists shot dead Majid Ahmad Gojri in Srinagar and Mohammad Shafi Dar at Batmaloo.

According to official statistics, a total of 28 civilians were killed by terrorists so far in 2021. The Central government has dispatched a top official of the Intelligence Bureau to Srinagar to coordinate operations against terrorists.

VHP, Bajrang Dal To hold protest against targeted killings in Kashmir

Meanwhile, enraged by the targeted killing of civilians in the Kashmir valley, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has announced a nationwide protest on October 9 against the heinous murder of seven civilians in the last five days. According to a statement, Hindu organisations such as the Bajrang Dal and the VHP would stage protests across the country on Saturday in which they will burn effigies representing Pakistan’s terror regime.

Image: PTI, ANI