2 NC workers shot dead

Srinagar: Three workers of National Conference were on Friday shot at from point blank range by unknown gunmen in J&K’s summer capital Srinagar. While two of them died soon after being admitted to a nearby hospital, the third is battling for life.

Three workers of National Conference (NC) were on Friday shot at from point blank range by unknown gunmen in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar. While two of them died soon after being admitted to a nearby hospital, the third is battling for life, the police and hospital sources said.

Srinagar’s SSP Imtiyaz Ismail said that the trio was sitting in a shop in City’s Qarfali Mohalla when targeted deliberately. He said, “These three people were fired upon while they were sitting in a shop. It appears they were targeted deliberately. It wasn’t a sort of indiscriminate act of firing. It looks they were seen sitting there and then targeted.”

The authorities have blamed the shooting on separatist militants. So far, none of the militant outfit active in the restive State has owned responsibility for killing and injuring the NC workers, however. The slain have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Wani and Nazir Ahmed Bhat while the injured as Shakeel Ahmed Zangoo. They were targeted by gunmen in Srinagar’s Karfali Mohalla, Habba Kadal, the police said.

Zangoo, the police said, is also an aide of NC’s local MLA Shamima Firdous.