Hurriyat office vandalised in Srinagar over targeted killing of Kashmiri Pandits

A mass agitation has erupted in the valley ever since the killing of Puran Krishan Bhat in Shopian district last week.

The All Parties Hurriyat’s office was vandalised in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, on Monday during protests against killing of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.

A mass agitation has erupted in the valley ever since the killing of Puran Krishan Bhat in Shopian district last week.

Bhat, a fruit cultivator, was attacked near his home in the Chowdhary Gund area of Shopian district on Saturday morning. He was rushed to the local hospital where doctors declared him dead.

The Kashmir Freedom Fighter (KFF) group, the proxy name of a terrorist group, has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

Demonstrators have been calling for a stop to the”bloodshed” and reiterating the demands of Pandit employees to be relocated from the region temporarily.

A massive candlelight vigil was held in Shopian. Similar marches were held in Srinagar, Bandipora, Baramulla, Ganderbal and Budgam districts.

Earlier in the day, former Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) chief minister and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said targeted killings would not stop in the region unless New Delhi talks to Islamabad, similar to its interactions with China to resolve the border issue in Ladakh.

He added that people are still dying even after the special status of Kashmir was taken by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

“Targeted killings would not stop unless they [India and Pakistan] hold talks. They [BJP] earlier held Article 370 (of the Constitution) responsible for the killings and other ills… It has been four years since Article 370 was revoked (in August 2019), but still people are dying,” said Abdullah after offering condolences to the family of a party colleague.

He said Puran Krishan Bhat, an innocent Kashmiri Pandit, should not have died if Article 370 was to blame for such killings. "There must be some reason. Article 370 was not responsible for killings because terrorism is being sponsored from outside.”