In targeted attack, terrorists shoot dead Sikh school principal and Hindu teacher in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar

Srinagar: In a ghastly targeted attack, unidentified terrorists on Thursday shot dead two non-Muslim teachers, one of them a school principal, in the Kashmir Valley. Both the teachers had sustained injuries in the terror attack and were rushed to a hospital but they later succumbed to the injuries, reports said. The two teachers were employed at the Government Boys Higher Secondary School located at the Sangam Eidgah Sangam area of Srinagar, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said. “At about 11.15 am, terrorists shot dead two school teachers at Sangam Eidgah in Srinagar district,” a police official stated. One of them was identified as principal Supinder Kour, a Sikh woman and a resident of Alochi Bagh area of the city here, while the second victim was teacher Deepak Chand, a Hindu resident of Jammu. It has been reported that four to five teachers were having a meeting in the principal’s office when at least two terrorists barged in. The terrorists separated the Muslim teachers from the group and dragged two non-Muslim teachers, including the principal, out of the school building. They then opened fire at them in the school compound and fled from the spot. ‘Bid to create an atmosphere of fear’ Top police officials including the DGP rushed to the school to review the security situation. “These recent incidents of targeting civilians are to create an atmosphere of fear, communal disharmony here. This is a conspiracy to target the local ethos and values and defame local Kashmiri Muslims. This is being done on instructions from agencies in Pakistan,” J&K DGP Dilbag Singh said later. The Resistance Front (TRF) terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police were also quoted as saying that the TRF had killed the two teachers. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said a befitting reply will be given to those behind the attack. “A befitting reply will be given to perpetrators of the heinous terror attacks on innocent people. Terrorists and their patrons will not succeed in disturbing peace, progress and prosperity of J&K,” he said. The Jammu Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the attack. “Terrible news of killing of two teachers in Srinagar coming to fore. When will this dance of death come to an end. Will the administration stop trumpeting the hollow slogans of ‘Normalcy’ now. Deepest condolences with the families,” the party tweeted. National Conference’s Omar Abdullah also condemned the attack on Twitter: “Shocking news coming in again from Srinagar. Another set of targeted killings, this time of two teachers in a Govt school in Idgah area of the city. Words of condemnation are not enough for this inhuman act of terror but I pray for the souls of the deceased to rest in peace.” The National Conference separately tweeted: “Extremely distressing news coming in from a Govt school in Eidgah, Srinagar. Unreservedly condemn the dastardly & cowardly targeted killings of 2 school teachers. No words of condemnation would be enough. May they rest in peace. Our sincerest condolences go out to their families.” A relative of school teacher Deepak Chand told news agency ANI that living in Kashmir has been hell like that. “We are still receiving threat calls. Kashmir is not heaven, it’s hell. We’re are being targeted for the last 30 years,” he stated. Multiple targeted killings in less than a week The terror attack came just two days after terrorists, in a similarly targeted killing, killed businessman Makhan Lal Bindroo and two other civilians on Tuesday. Bindroo was shot dead by terrorists at his pharmacy in Srinagar. A few minutes later, terrorists killed a roadside vendor identified as Virendra Paswan, a native of Bhagalpur in Bihar, near Hawal Chowk in Srinagar. The terrorists also gunned down another civilian Mohammad Shafi Lone at Naidkhai in Bandipora district of north Kashmir the same evening. Bindroo, a Kashmiri Pandit, was one of the very few in the community who chose to stay back in Kashmir at the onset of militancy in 1990. He continued to operate his business along with his wife. Bindroo’s pharmacy was a trusted name by the residents for quality medicines.