Srinagar: In a first such horrific incident after the scrapping of Article 370 and the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, suspected militants on Monday abducted two members of the nomadic Gujjar community from a forested area in Pulwama district and later shot one of them dead. The news was confirmed by the local police.
According to a police spokesperson, the two abducted local men have been identified as Abdul Qadeer Kohli of Rajauri district and Manzoor Ahmed of Khonmoh area of Srinagar. They were abducted by unidentified gunmen from ‘Dhok’, a temporary shelter, from the forested area of Tral in Pulwama district around 7:30 pm.
The police further added that the bullet-riddled body of Kohli was later recovered by a search and rescue party, while an operation to trace the other person is still underway.
This is the first militant attack after the BJP-led NDA government abrogated provisions of Article 370 and announced bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories on August 5. Jammu and Kashmir is now a union territory and not a state. The other being Ladakh.
Following this, restrictions were imposed in the valley but they have now been relaxed. Schools, offices and markets have reopened and life is slowly but steadily returning to normal.