Veteran journalist and Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari and his PSO were shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside the newspaper’s office in Srinagar.
SRINAGAR: Senior journalist and Editor of English daily “Rising Kashmir” Shujat Bhukhari was on Thursday shot dead by militants outside his office here, police said.
Bukhari, who was in his 50s, was leaving his office in Press Enclave in the city centre Lal Chowk for an iftar party when he was shot, officials said.
No group has claimed the killings but police say militants are suspected to have carried out the attack.
Bukhari was, reportedly, earlier attacked in 2000, after which he was provided with security by the state government.
Terming Bukhari’s killing an act of cowardice, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that it was an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a message that she was shocked and saddened by Bukhari’s “sudden demise”.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi and National Conference president Omar Abdullah were among those who condemned the killing.
From the Editors Guild of India to the Press Club, condemnations of the attack were immediate and unreserved, calling on the state to improve security conditions for journalists.
Press Club of India strongly condemns the killing of Shujaat Bukhari, Editor of Rising Kashmir, by a group of terrorists in Srinagar on Thursday evening.
According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.
