Ultras gun down Ferozepur fruit trader in Kashmir

Another trader critically hurt; Chhattisgarh labourer killed in Pulwama

SRINAGAR : Two days after the killing of a Rajasthan truck driver, suspected militants on Wednesday gunned down a fruit trader from Punjab and a Chhattisgarh migrant labourer in Kashmir.

While the assault on trader, identified as Charanjit Singh, took place in Shopian, 29 yearold labourer Sethi Kumar Sagar was attacked in Pulwama.

On Monday, militants killed 40-year-old Sharif Khan, a driver from Mewat, and set ablaze his truck when he was loading apples in Shirmal village in Shopian.

Officials said the suspected militants targeted the fruit traders, both natives of Ferozepur in Punjab, near Trenz village, 7 km from Shopian town.

While Charanjit died on the spot, the other identified as Sanjeev Kumar was shifted to a hospital in Pulwama in a critical condition.

Soon after the attack, army and police cordoned off the area and began search operations.

Earlier, militants stopped Chhattisgarh labourer Sagar and his nephew while they were on way to meet a doctor at Kakapora village. While Sagar was gunned down, his nephew was left unharmed. Locals said Sagar had been staying at the village along with his family and was working at a brick kiln.

A senior police officer said a case has been registered and investigation is on. “Sagar was shot in the head and died on the spot,” he added.

A majority of non-locals had left the Valley days after abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.At some places in the Valley, posters had also surfaced asking non- locals to leave the state after abrogation of Article 370.

The back to back killings of non-locals in south Kashmir have left the top officials worried. Police spokesman, in a statement issued late Monday night, had blamed militants belonging to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Hizbul Mujahideen for the killing of the Rajasthan truck driver.