Srinagar: A Hindu woman teacher from Jammu was shot dead on Tuesday by terrorists in the Valley’s Kulgam district, polic said.
The killing of 36-years-old Rajni Bala, wife of Raj Kumar, resident of Samba district, who was currently putting up at Chawalgam Kulgam, and was posted at a Government High School in Gopalpora, Kulgam, is the second killing of a non-Muslim government employee in May and the seventh targeted killing in Kashmir this month.
Police officials said Bala was injured in the attack and taken to a nearby district hospital where she was declared dead.
Earlier, officials had said she was a migrant Kashmiri Pandit.
An official said that immediately after the attack on the school teacher, the area was cordoned off and a manhunt launched to track down the assailants.
“Those involved in this gruesome terror crime will be soon identified and neutralised,” a police spokesperson said, adding that police have registered a case under relevant sections of law and initiated investigation.
“Officers continue to work to establish the full circumstances of the terror crime and terrorists involved in this gruesome terror crime will be soon identified and neutralized. The whole area has been cordoned off with the help of reinforcement and search in the area is going on,” the spokesman said.
Meanwhile, the killing has ben condemned widely.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condemned the killing of a Hindu woman teacher by militants inside a government school in Kulgam, saying the assailants will be given an “unforgettable response”.
“Terrorist attack on a school teacher Rajni Bala is the most reprehensible act. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Terrorists and their sympathisers will be given unforgettable response for dastardly attack,” Sinha tweeted.
Responding to a question of reporters in Gujarat’s Vadodara city about the killing, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said the Centre is confident of winning the battle against terrorism which has been going on for many years.
“Our fight against terrorism, which has been going on for several years, will continue. See, terrorism will not end in one day. But, even terrorists know that the present regime is not like the previous government,” Jaishankar told reporters after attending Garib Kalyan Sammelan in Vadodara.
“We will definitely take necessary steps against terrorism. Our battle against terrorism will continue and we are confident that we will be successful,” said the External Affairs minister.
The woman teacher’s killing evoked widespread condemnations in the Valley.
“Very sad. This is yet another targeted killing in a long list of recent attacks directed at unarmed civilians. Words of condemnation & condolence ring hollow as do the assurances of the government that they will not rest till the situation normalises. May the deceased rest in peace,” National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah tweeted.
“Rajni was from Samba District of Jammu province. A government teacher working in Kulgam area of South Kashmir, she lost her life in a despicable targeted attack. My heart goes out to her husband Raj Kumar & the rest of her family. Another home irreparably damaged by violence,” he added.
PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said despite the Centre’s claims of normalcy in Kashmir, targeted killings were on the rise.
“Despite GOIs fake claims about Kashmir being normal its obvious that targeted civilian killings are on the rise & a deep cause of concern (sic). Condemn this act of cowardice which sadly plays into the vicious anti Muslim narrative spun by BJP,” she tweeted.
Sajad Gani Lone also condemned the killing, saying cowardice has yet again plummeted to shameless depths.
“A teacher, an innocent woman hailing from Samba, has been shot dead in Kulgam. May her soul rest in peace,” he said.
Veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also condemned the attack.
“I am pained to learn about the heart wrenching incidents of targeted killing of two women in Kashmir within one week, Amreen Bhat and Rajani Bala. I strongly condemn the killing of Rajani Bala,” Azad tweeted.
“I urge the administration to take stringent measures to safeguard the lives of innocent civilians. I express my sympathies with the bereaved families,” he added.
CPI(M) leader M Y Tarigami termed the killing of the teacher “tragic” and “unfortunate”.
“This is yet another addition to the long list of civilian killings. There seems to be no end to the bloodletting. The administration must post these employees in safer places and provide them with secure accommodations,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Devender Singh Rana said the enemies of peace are working overtime to “take the Valley back to the dark tunnel”.
The killing was part of a “sinister campaign” to create fear psychosis, instability and discord between communities in order to keep the Valley boiling. “Kashmiris must come out strongly against Pakistan and its lackeys who are responsible for such acts of terrorism,” he said.
“This is an attempt to scuttle the process of normalisation that has resulted in a fillip to economic activities in the Valley in recent times. This is an uncomfortable situation for Pakistan and its lackeys who are desperate to reverse the positives achieved by the security forces with the cooperation of the people,” Rana said in a statement.
“In their nefarious pursuit, they are causing much harm to peace and normalcy in Kashmir,” he said, adding that he hoped the people will see through their game plan and unequivocally raise their voice against the terror ecosystem.
Jammu Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Mohammad Altaf Bukhari termed the killing as a “heinous crime by the terrorists”.
“The targeted killing spree has created havoc and absolute insecurity among the masses. Nobody is able to understand why innocent people are being gunned down. Everyone, irrespective of his or her religious belief and political ideology is frightened in the valley. Rajni Bala’s killing is the seventh targeted killing in Kashmir in the month of May. Earlier, six innocent people including Kashmir Pandit Rahul Bhat and three off-duty policemen were killed in the same manner,” he said.
“How long will this mindless bloodshed continue here, and what would the perpetrators achieve by killing innocent people?” he asked, while urging the people to “raise their voice against this mindless bloodshed”.
“Unless people unite to raise their voices against the civilian killings, these killings will not stop. Every one of us ought to fight against this ruthlessness, and everyone should condemn these killings in the strongest possible terms,” he said.
BJP spokesman Altaf Thakur said he strongly condemned the attack. “Yet another dastardly act of terrorism in Kulgam. Attacking unarmed civilians, that too women, is no bravery but an act of frustration,” he added.
