KASHMIR EATERY OWNER’S SON SUCCUMBS TO BULLET INJURIES

SRINAGAR: The son of the owner of popular eatery Krishna Dhaba, who was shot at by terrorists on February 17, died at a hospital here on Sunday, officials said.

Akash Mehra was undergoing treatment at the SMHS Hospital for the past 10 days. He succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Sunday, they said.

He was shot at by terrorists from a close range and critically wounded, the police had said.

The Muslim Janbaz Force, a terror outfit which was active in the early 1990s, had claimed responsibility for the attack. Two days later, Jammu and Kashmir police arrested three members of the force in connection with the attack, which police said was aimed at terrorising non-locals living in the valley and disrupting tourist activity. The arrested terrorists were identified as Suhail Ahmad Mir, resident of Dangerpora Nowgam, Owais Manzoor Sofi, resident of Dangarpora and Vilayat Aziz Mir, a resident of Hanipora Wampora Pulwama.

Krishna Dhaba, famous for serving vegetarian food, is located in Durganag, a high-security area of the city. Several high-profile installations like the office of UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan and the residence of the J&K chief justice are located within 200 metres of the eatery.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kavinder Gupta said the ‘targetted’ attack revealed the ongoing attempts to oust the ‘minorities’ from the region.

“We heard the sad news about the death of Krishna Dhaba’s owner’s son. This type of targeted attack is proof that there are still ongoing attempts to oust the minorities from the region. Because the situation is improving in Jammu and Kashmir, some terrorist organisations are actively trying to create panic in the region,” Gupta told news agency ANI.