After a brief lull, terrorists in Kashmir Valley have once again started resorting to an old tactic of attacking soft targets.

A day after an Inspector rank officer of Jammu & Kashmir Police was targeted by terrorists in the Eidgah area of downtown Srinagar, a brick kiln worker hailing from Uttar Pradesh was killed in cold blood in the Tumchi Nowpora area of South Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Monday.

Jammu & Kashmir police identified the labourer as 38-year-old Mukesh Kumar, a resident of Bhatpura, Unnao district near Kanpur.

Mukesh was earning his livelihood by working in a nearby brick kiln.

On Monday as he was approaching a local shop to get some items, he was targeted by unidentified terrorists.

With multiple bullet wounds, Kumar was rushed to the nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

Earlier on Sunday, a police officer, playing a game of cricket, was critically wounded after he was targeted by an unidentified terrorist at the Eidgah ground in downtown Srinagar.

According to police, the terrorist used a pistol to target the police officer identified as Masroor Ahmad.

The police officer had also received multiple wounds, including in the head.

He was operated upon by a team of doctors at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Science (SKIMS).

J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh on Monday confirmed the injured officer is recovering in the hospital.

Sounding a word of caution, the outgoing police chief said threats are still around and cops have to be careful and cautious about incidents like the attack on a police officer while playing cricket at a playground here.

“We have to be cautious. The threats are still around; we cannot take these so lightly. We have to be careful, we have to be cautious and I pray that he will come out of it,” Dilbagh Singh, who is set to retire on October 31, told reporters on the sidelines of a function in Srinagar.

He said the officer had gone to play cricket when he was attacked by terrorists.

Asked if Pakistan will try to disrupt the atmosphere in view of forthcoming elections, Singh, without naming Islamabad, said the neighbouring country has always tried to disturb peace in Jammu & Kashmir.

“Elections or no elections, they (Pakistan) have always been trying to disturb the peace here, ensuring that the militancy continues here but our brave force JKP with the support of other forces, including army and people, have been able to eliminate that design and ill-intended actions by our adversary. I am sure that will continue,” he said.