The trend of brutal killings in the Kashmir valley has continued as a newly-wedded bank employee from Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan was shot dead by a terrorist inside the bank’s branch office in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Thursday. The slain bank officer has been identified as Vijay Kumar, Branch Manager of Ellaquai Dehati Bank at Areh Mohanpora.
A CCTV footage in circulation clearly showed Vijay Kumar was sitting on his chair when a terrorist, wearing a face mask, barged inside the branch and pumped two bullets from a pistol. The assailants ran away from the spot without being challenged by anyone. The incident took place at around 10.51 am.
The young officer got married on February 10, 2022, and had recently joined his new posting after cracking the probationary officer examination. At present, his wife was staying with him in the valley and was also preparing for her examination.
Political leaders belonging to different political parties condemned the killing of the young branch manager.
Woman schoolteacher Rajni Bala was earlier shot dead by terrorists outside Gopalpora High School on May 31. Since May first week, eight people have been shot dead, including three policemen, by terrorists.
These two recent incidents of targeted killing of a woman teacher and a bank manager have further exposed the tall promises made by the Union Territory administration about providing foolproof security to the Government employees and others working in the Kashmir valley. The LG administration had earlier decided to relocate the Kashmiri migrant employees and others belonging to the minority community to safer places in the Kashmir valley by June 6.
Ignoring these diktats on ground zero a large number of Kashmiri pandits on Thursday packed their bags and made an attempt to shift to Jammu from their transit camps but they were prevented by the security forces stationed outside these camps to move out.
This led to a confrontation as the Kashmiri pandits shouted at the security forces that they cannot be kept like hostages. “You are not even allowing pregnant ladies to visit the hospital for a check-up, we will not tolerate this”, one of them was heard saying.
In Jammu, several employees under the banner of All Jammu reserved categories Employees Association, Kashmir staged a protest seeking transfer to their home districts. The employees claimed after the killing of Rajni Bala outside her school fear psychosis had gripped their minds and they were not ready to return to Kashmir valley.
“We will not resume our duties in the valley, we appeal to the UT administration to transfer Jammu based employees under reserved category to their home districts”.