Man who shot dead Kashmiri Pandit identified: J&K Police

Jammu and Kashmir Police on Friday claimed to have identified the killer of Kashmiri Pandit Puran Krishan, who was gunned down by militants outside his house at Chowdhary Gund in Shopian district last month.

The police said that during investigation, involvement of Mohammad Lateef came to the fore, who is now missing.

“During investigation of the case pertaining to the killing of Kashmiri Pandit Puran Krishan Bhat of Chowdhary Gund by terrorists on October 15, one Mohammad Lateef Lone was found to be involved in the terror crime,” Kashmir ADGP Vijay Kumar said.

He said the killer had been missing from his house since November 12. “Any person giving information about Lone will be suitably rewarded,” he added. The Kashmiri Pandit Sangharsh Samiti, a prominent pandits’ body in the Valley, has said that 17 families have left their homes in south Kashmir since May amid series of targeted attacks on the community members. On October 15, 56-year-old Puran Krishan was shot dead by terrorists near his residence in Shopian.

Terror outfit Kashmir Freedom Fighters, which is widely seen as an LET front, had claimed the responsibility for the attack, which triggered widespread protests across the UT two days later.

On August 16, another Kashmiri Pandit, Sunil Kumar Bhat, was killed in Shopian while his brother was injured.

The police had said that the brothers were working in their apple orchard when the attack took place.

Likewise, on May 12, Rahul Bhat, a government employee belonging to the community, was shot dead by terrorists inside his office in Budgam.

His murder had sparked several protests with as many as 350 staffers threatening to resign from their government jobs. Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had then said that all Kashmiri Pandit employees appointed under the PM’S rehabilitation package across the Valley will be posted at district and tehsil headquarters.