Sanjay Sharma, 40, a bank security guard by profession who was killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district was on his way to a local market, police said.
Sanjay Sharma was shot in the chest at point blank range in the Achan area of Pulwama on Sunday morning.He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
Condemnations of the killing poured in from all the sections of society. Cutting across the party lines , political parties unequivocally condemned the killing.
The Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha,strongly condemned the killing of Kashmiri Pandit in Pulwama saying the administration has given a free hand to security forces to deal with the killers. He said the administration is standing strong with the breaved family.
“My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family. The administration has given a free hand to the security forces to deal with the terrorists and we will continue to combat such acts of terrorism firmly and decisively,” he said.
A few hours after the incident, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah took to his twitter and wrote that he was deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Sanjay Pandith.
“Deeply saddened to hear of the demise of Sanjay Pandith of Achan in Pulwama district of South Kashmir. Sanjay was working as a bank security guard and was killed in a militant attack earlier today. I unequivocally condemn this attack and send my condolences to his loved ones,” tweeted Omar.
Former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti lashed out at BJP for its “failure to protect minorities” in J&K and accused BJP of using these types of incidents to defame Muslims in the country.
“It is the government’s failure. The BJP government has failed to ensure safety of the minorities here. They (BJP) use minorities to show normalcy in Jammu and Kashmir. They use these incidents to defame Muslims across the country,” the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief told reporters.
Blaming the BJP-led Centre for failing to protect Kashmiri Pandits, she said, “A few days ago, right-wing terrorists killed two Muslims in Rajasthan. Today, you have killed a Hindu. What is the difference between you and them?”
Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad condemned the killing of a Kashmiri Pandit, saying it was a matter of grave concern.
“Any killing, especially a targeted killing, is a matter of grave concern and condemnable. We condemn it,” Azad told reporters.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said every targeted killing is condemnable, be that of a Kashmiri Pandit or a Muslim or a Sikh and whether the victim is from Jammu or Kashmir.
However, he said the most unfortunate part is that while many people were arrested in connection with such incidents over the last 30 years, “not one killer has been arrested for these targeted killings in the last two years”
NC’s chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq called the killing an unfortunate incident.
“ As a majority community, we have to ensure the protection of the minorities as the government has failed to do so,” he said.
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