SRINAGAR: National Conference (NC) president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah has raised serious concerns over the killing of two migrant labourers in Kulgam, suggesting that the timing of such attacks appears suspicious—especially when his party reiterates its demand for the restoration of statehood.
Speaking in Baramulla on Saturday, Abdullah said the deaths of Deepak Ratray and Bopinder, both young labourers from Chhattisgarh, were deeply tragic and warranted a thorough, unbiased investigation. He stressed that the circumstances surrounding their killing at a brick kiln in Kelam on Friday evening remain unclear, and that only a fair probe can establish who carried out the attack and why.
Abdullah questioned why targeted killings seem to spike whenever the NC pushes for political rights and statehood for J&K. He said the pattern raises troubling questions about the motives behind such violence, adding that the people of the region deserve transparency and accountability. The two labourers were critically injured in the attack; Ratray died before reaching the hospital, while Bopinder succumbed to his injuries at a Srinagar hospital after being shifted from Government Medical College Anantnag.
The Kulgam incident follows the killing of India Reserve Police head constable Ashiq Hussain Qureshi, who was shot dead by a lone militant in Anantnag’s Lal Chowk on July 22. In response, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha met the bereaved family and on Saturday handed an appointment letter to Hussain’s son, Absar Ashiq Qureshi, acknowledging the sacrifice made by the slain officer. Sinha assured the family of continued support and noted that he had visited them earlier in Lalpora, Beerwah, in the central district of Budgam.
In another gesture of official solidarity, the Lt. Governor also provided a compassionate appointment letter to Insha Nazir, the wife of Inspector Masroor Ali Wani, who was killed in the line of duty. Sinha honoured Wani’s service and reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to supporting families of security personnel who lose their lives protecting civilians.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
