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'Rising Kashmir' editor Shujaat Bukhari shot dead in Srinagar, Kashmir

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'Rising Kashmir' Editor Shujaat Bukhari Shot Dead In Srinagar

Srinagar: Senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead on Thursday evening outside his office in Srinagar in an audacious terror attack that has left the nation in shock. Mr Bukhari, the editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot at close range in the attack in which his two security officers were also killed. He was attacked when he had stepped out of his office in Press Colony in the city to head home. The killers emptied their magazines into their victims before fleeing the scene.

The police say the killers were waiting for Shujaat Bukhari to come out of the building and it appeared to be a planned attack. It was not clear, however, who were responsible for the attack, Jammu and Kashmir police chief SP Vaid told NDTV.

A CCTV grab, released by the police, shows the three attackers on a motorcycle. While the rider was wearing a helmet, the other two men were wearing masks to hide their identity. They can be seen carrying guns hidden in a sack.

"Today at about 7:30 pm when he was coming out of his office and boarding his car, three terrorists, who had come on a motorcycle, opened fire. Two of his PSOs (personal security officers) were also hit... They were shot before they could react," he said.

A CCTV grab, released by the police, shows the three attackers on a motorcycle.
They (the terrorists) chose the iftaar time when everybody was rushing home. We will look into who these people are," he added.

The attack took place hours after Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a security review meeting for the annual Amarnath pilgrimage that starts later this month. Sources say Rajnath Singh's peace initiative in Kashmir, a ceasefire, may not extend beyond Ramzan, which is expected to end with Eid day after tomorrow.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visited the police hospital, where Mr Bukhari's body was brought, to console his grief-stricken family and appeared close to tears herself. "It's very difficult to believe. He came to meet me just a few days ago," she said.

From the Editors Guild of India to the Press Club, condemnations of the attack were immediate and unreserved, calling on the state to improve security conditions for journalists.

Calling Mr Bukhari "a voice of moderation and a courageous, big-hearted editor", the Editors' Guild said his killing "is a new low in a rapidly deteriorating environment for media practitioners in Kashmir, in particular, and in the country in general".

"An attack on a journalist challenges the very foundations of a free press and vibrant democracy and more so in a state like Jammu and Kashmir... The Guild calls upon the Centre to take necessary steps to ensure a situation where the media can discharge its duties without any fear of violence," its statement read.

Shujaat Bukhari was given police protection since an attack on him in 2000. He was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir valley and mentored several young journalists. He was also part of the "Track II" or alternate channels dialogue process with Pakistan.


https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/shu...sing-kashmir-shot-in-srinagar-injured-1867640
 
This is the sort of drive by shooting which has become a trademark in Pakistan. I always wondered how India didn't seem to suffer them as much as Pakistan but it seems it can happen there as well.
 
Police have released CCTV footage and one suspect has been arrested.
 
RIP, mad respect to those journalists who put their lives on the line while carrying out their duties. He may be no more but he has brought honor to his profession. Hope the assailants are caught soon and handed strict punishments. Meanwhile PM Modi needs to wake up from his slumber, his government's handling of Kashmir has been callous to say the least.
 
https://www.dawn.com/news/1414347/thousands-throng-funeral-of-slain-editor-in-india-held-kashmir

Thousands of mourners gathered on Friday for the funeral of a veteran journalist shot dead by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike outside his office in the main city of India-held Kashmir.

Shujaat Bukhari, a leading journalist and editor of the English-language daily Rising Kashmir, was leaving his office in Srinagar on Thursday evening when three assailants roared up and fired several shots from close range.

Bukhari, 50, was rushed to hospital but was later declared dead. Two of his personal security guards also died.

Shujaat Bukhari's mother (C) mourns during his funeral procession. — AFP
On Friday, funeral prayers were held at the Jamia Masjid grand mosque in Srinagar before the burial in his native village in northern Kashmir.

Bukhari, who was given police protection following three attacks on him in the past decade, had been a strong advocate of peace in Kashmir.

New Delhi has about 500,000 soldiers in India-held Kashmir, where armed groups are fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Bukhari took part in informal peace talks on Kashmir with Pakistani representatives in Dubai last year. His final tweet, sent just a few hours before his murder, was a link to his website's reporting of the UN human rights chief calling for a major investigation into abuses committed by both India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

The identity of the attackers and the motive for the killing was not yet known but Srinagar police released CCTV footage of the three suspects on the motorbike.

The government of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered a high-level investigation into the attack that came hours before Eidul Fitr began.

Rising Kashmir on Friday carried a full-blown portrait of Bukhari on its front page against a black background.

The murder has been condemned by political leaders who hailed Bukhari as a fearless and courageous journalist.

“Terrorism has hit a new low with Shujaat's killing. That too, on the eve of Eid. We must unite against forces seeking to undermine our attempts to restore peace. Justice will be done,” tweeted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">J&K: Terrorist wanted in journalist Shujaat Bukhari's killing killed in encounter <a href="https://t.co/hI2Nit0pgE">https://t.co/hI2Nit0pgE</a></p>— DNA (@dna) <a href="https://twitter.com/dna/status/1065873135092690944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The story Azad Ahmad Malik, who was accused by police of being involved in the assassination of prominent journalist Syed Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Srinagar-based English daily Rising Kashmir. He was killed in an encounter that left 6 militants dead.<a href="https://t.co/94qeYqkwdn">https://t.co/94qeYqkwdn</a></p>— Sameer Yasir (@sameeryasir) <a href="https://twitter.com/sameeryasir/status/1065941713993129984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
They can claim what they want. The whole of Kashmir knows even the sell out that this was an inside job.
 
They can claim what they want. The whole of Kashmir knows even the sell out that this was an inside job.

Yep. A few hours after UN report.

How convenient that his alleged killer is now dead...
 
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