Srinagar: PDP President and former Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti has expressed shock over the death of seven civilians and injuries to scores others at an encounter site in Kulgam today.
In a statement, the PDP President appealed the Governor, S P Malik to ensure that “all Standard Operating Procedures are strictly adhered to while dealing with the security situations and all the security agencies are advised to take precautions to avoid any collateral damage”.
She said that she was extremely saddened by the news of Kulgam incident, where civilians were once again caught in the crossfire of violence, thus adding fuel to the already volatile situation. All words of condemnation, condolence sound very hollow at this tragedy.
Conveying sympathies to the bereaved families, the PDP President has sought the immediate release of ex gratia and other assistance in the favour of deceased civilians and aid to the injured.
Six civilians were killed in a powerful explosion after a gunfight in Laroo village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district in which three militants were killed on Sunday. One civilian succumbed to his injuries at SKIMS Soura taking the death toll of civilians to six.
The news about the Kulgam killings spread like wild fire and public movement in Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley virtually came to a grinding halt as passenger transport vehicles were rarely moving on very few roads in the Srinagar city.
The Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) has termed the killing of civilians as a carnage which shows that Kashmir has been turned into a slaughter house.
The JRL gave a shutdown call for Monday, and said that on Tuesday, people along with JRL leadership will march to Lal chowk and hold a protest sit-in against Indian aggression.
Calling the Kulgam killings as ‘terrible news’, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday asked “how long can the ground realities be ignored and living in denial of bad situation in Kashmir.”
The Executive Committee of The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) expressed shock and concern at the sharp increase in the use of “brutal force” against the unarmed civilians of Kashmir. The KCCI has said that the business community will observe a complete shutdown on Monday.
