Kulgam: A woman teacher at High School Gopalpora area was fired upon by some militants on Tuesday morning. The woman received critical gunshot injuries following which she was shifted to a nearby hospital. However, she succumbed to her injuries while receiving treatment.
The woman has been identified as Rajni Bala (36), a Hindu belonging to Jammu's Samba district, who was posted at a government school in Gopalpora, Kulgam. This is the second killing of a non-Muslim government employee in May and the seventh targeted killing in Kashmir this month. Police officials said Bala was injured in the attack and taken to a nearby district hospital where she was declared dead.
An official said the area was cordoned off and a manhunt was launched to track down the assailants. "Those involved in this gruesome terror crime will be soon identified and neutralised," a police spokesperson said. The woman's killing evoked widespread condemnation in the Valley. "Very sad. This is yet another targeted killing in a long list of recent attacks directed at unarmed civilians. Words of condemnation & condolence ring hollow as do the assurances of the government that they will not rest till the situation normalises. May the deceased rest in peace," National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah tweeted.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said despite the Centre's claims of normalcy in Kashmir, targeted killings were on the rise. "Despite GOIs fake claims about Kashmir being normal, it's obvious that targeted civilian killings are on the rise & a deep cause of concern (sic). Condemn this act of cowardice which sadly plays into the vicious anti-Muslim narrative spun by BJP," she tweeted.
This is the second killing of a non-Muslim government employee in the month of May. On May 12, Rahul Bhat, a clerk, was shot dead inside the tehsildar's office in Chadoora tehsil of Budgam district. Of the seven targeted killings that took place in Kashmir this month, three victims were off-duty policemen and four were civilians. (With Agency Inputs)
