Kashmir Twin Attacks: 1 Killed In Shopian, Jaipur Couple Injured In Anantnag Ahead Of Polling

Kashmir Twin Attacks: Two firing incidents were reported in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of polling, in which a former sarpanch was killed and a couple from Rajasthan was injured on Saturday night. Terrorists shot at former sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in the Hurpura village of Shopian district. He later succumbed to his injuries. In a separate incident, a couple from Rajasthan was also injured in Anantnag on Saturday night.

The incident took place when the country is in the middle of a marathon six-week Lok Sabha elections. Currently, four rounds of polling are over, three more remain. The votes will be counted on June 4.

#WATCH | Anantnag, J&K: Terrorists fired upon and injured a lady Farha, resident of Jaipur and spouse of Tabrez at Yannar. Injured evacuated to hospital for treatment.

(Video source: Local) https://t.co/7UUq9YXR8Y pic.twitter.com/im1NZ2hSEm

— ANI (@ANI) May 18, 2024

“He (sarpanch) was shifted to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Terrorists also fired at a tourist couple from Jaipur identified as Tabriz and his wife Farha in the Yannar area of Anantnag district. The injured couple has been shifted to the hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off for searches,” said an official.

The back-to-back attacks were reported at a time when campaigning for the parliamentary polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat is underway.
People of Udhampur and Jammu have already casted their votes on the 19th and 26th of April, respectively, with Srinagar following suit on the 13th of May. Up next for voting on the 20th of May is Baramulla, while the Anantnag-Rajouri seat waits its turn on the 25th. It’s noteworthy to mention that major political entities in Jammu and Kashmir—like the National Conference, PDP, or the BJP—have mutually expressed criticism over the attacks.

Former chief minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti took to X and said, “While we condemn the attack in Pahalgam today that resulted in injuries to two tourists followed by another attack on a (former) sarpanch in Hirpora, Shopian – the timing of these attacks given that the south election was delayed without any reason is a cause of concern. Especially keeping in mind normalcy claims touted by GOI (Government of India).” She is contesting the Lok Sabha elections from the Anantnag-Rajouri seat.

The BJP in a statement said, “We strongly condemn the killing of ex-sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh in Hirpora, Shopian, South Kashmir, by terrorists today.” “Aijaz Ahmad was a brave soldier of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Jammu and Kashmir. The BJP firmly stands with the family of Aijaz Ahmad, who lost his life in this terror attack.”

In the fading days of March, a nameless troupe violently targeted and murdered a government employee right after he exited a mosque in Shadra Sharief, located in Rajouri. Regrettably, his injuries were too severe and he ultimately passed away in the hospital. In a similar vein, a horrific event took place on April 17, where a migrant laborer, who originally hailed from Bihar, met his untimely demise in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, shot dead by terrorists.