SRINAGAR: In a tragic incident marking the first targeted killing of 2024, two residents of Punjab fell victim to a militant attack in Srinagar on Wednesday evening.
The Indian Express reported that Amritpal Singh (31) and Rohit Masih (27) were fatally shot at close range just outside their rented accommodation at Shaheed Gunj. Singh passed away immediately, while Masih succumbed to his injuries on Thursday morning at a Srinagar hospital. Both hailed from the Chamyari village of Punjab’s Amritsar district and were neighbours.
Singh, a carpenter who had been working in Kashmir for the past five years, had persuaded Masih to join him to earn a living. Like many migrant workers, Singh returned to his village during the winter and had been home since Diwali.
Cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal visited the bereaved families, offering a compensation cheque of Rs 2 lakh each. The JK government provided immediate assistance of Rs 1 lakh to each family.
The targeted killing sparked outrage among political parties, locals, and the wider community in the valley, who denounced the assault as “cowardly and shameful.”
Members of civil society, the traders federation, various social organisations and citizens from various parts of Kashmir gathered for a candlelight march to denounce the killing of the two innocent civilians in Srinagar.
