J&K: Gunmen kill civilian in Valley's Kupwara

SRINAGAR: A civilian was shot dead by unknown gunmen late Saturday during a power outage in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, four days after terrorists killed 26 people in a meadow near the resort town of Pahalgam.

Officials said Ghulam Rasool Magray , 45, was shot outside his home in Kandi Khas around 10.30pm. Suspected terrorists entered the residence, took him outside, and opened fire, critically wounding him, police said. Locals took him to a hospital in Srinagar, but he died around 2am.

“There was no electricity at the time, making it impossible for me to identify them,” Magray’s mother said. Magray, who was unmarried, is survived by his mother.

Sources said Magray’s brother Ghulam Mohideen Magray is based in PoK and is believed to be an active operative of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist group.

Langate MLA Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, brother of jailed MP Engineer Rashid, called for accountability. “I want to know what govt is doing to stop such killings. Govt should take such killings seriously. Those unknown gunmen involved in his killing should be made accountable,” said the J&K Awami Ittehad Party legislator.

Peoples Conference chairman Sajad Lone also demanded a thorough investigation. Police have registered a case and launched a probe.