Renowned Chemist Among 3 Killed in Bandipora Attack; J&K Leaders React

One of the deceased, Virender Paswan, was a resident of Bihar’s Bhagalpur district and worked as a street vendor.

Image used for representational purposes.

(Photo: IANS)

Jammu and Kashmir leaders on Tuesday, 5 October, condemned the killings of three civilians by militants in separate incidents in the Union territory.

Reacting to the death of the owner of Bindroo Medicate pharmacy, Makhan Lal Bindroo, former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said, “Terrible news! He was a very kind man. I have been told he never left during the height of militancy and remained with his shop open. I condemn this killing in the strongest possible terms in convey my heartfelt condolences to his family. God bless his soul."

An hour later, reacting to the third casualty, Abdullah said in a tweet, “Even the words of condemnation & condolence after these militant attacks start to sound hollow. May Allah grate the deceased Jannat.”

Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Wednesday expressed his grief over the the death of the three civilians.

The Times of India reported that the Hurriyat Conference appealed to the international community seeking its help to put an end to the daily violence happening in Kashmir.

A statement by the group read that, "The international community should push the resolution of the constant lingering Kashmir conflict, which is the root cause to the sufferings," TOI reported.

Lt Governor Manoj Sinha was quoted as saying, “I strongly condemn the killing of civilians Virender Paswan and Mohd Shafi Lone by terrorists. The barbaric act of killing innocent people is against humanity. Terrorists will never succeed in their nefarious designs, and those responsible for such heinous acts shall be brought to justice. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families is in this hour of grief.(sic)”

Paswan was a resident of Bihar’s Bhagalpur district and worked as a street vendor. He was residing at Alamgari Bazar, Zadibal. Meanwhile, police said a search operation was underway to nab the militants.

Condemning the attacks that took place on Tuesday evening, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti said in a tweet, “condemn the killing of Shri ML Bindroo who chose to stay back in Kashmir even during peak of insurgency. Such acts of violence have no place in our society. May his family find the strength to deal with this loss.”

(With inputs from ANI and TOI)