Traders, locals mourn killing of eatery owner’s son, market shut
An uneasy silence has engulfed the Durga-Nag market at Dalgate in Srinagar, which would otherwise be frequented by hundreds of tourists and locals daily, after the death of the son of an eatery owner.
Aakash Mehra, 25, the only son of Ramesh Chandra Mehra, owner of famous Krishna Dhaba, was shot at by militants on February 17 and succumbed to his injuries on Sunday.
The eatery is famous for its vegetarian dishes which would attract people of all faiths and has been the main reason for the flurry of activity in the area. Many influential and prominent people would make it a point to visit the dhaba.
Local shopkeepers said the Aakash was studying in Jammu and had come to help his father after the Covid-induced lockdown. The whole market was shut on Sunday and Monday as a mark of protest over the killing. Though other shops opened on Tuesday, the roadside carts which would add to the hustle and bustle outside the Mehra’s shop were absent.
“Everybody in this market is heartbroken,” said Javaid Ahmad Khan, who runs a Kashmir art outlet just opposite the dhaba.
“Whosoever did this is condemnable. He was an innocent young man. The market has been desolate since Krishna Dhaba closed. It was the reason for the footfall in our trade outlets,” said Manzoor Ahmad, president of Durga-Nag Traders’ Union. The traders have been mulling to sending a delegation to express their condolences to the Mehra family in Jammu.
Police have already arrested three persons involved in the attack. Kashmir IG had said that they were newly recruited militants and were lured by The Resistance Front (TRF) to strike at Krishna Dhaba where tourist rush is always high.