The Rising Kashmir newspaper Editor Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead on Thursday night. Bukhari was leaving his office in Srinagar when he was shot dead by unknown assailants. Apart from Bukhari two officers were also killed in the attack.
The police reported this was a planned attack as the killers waited for Bukhari outside his office. Jammu and Kashmir Police Chief S. P. Vaid explained the men involved in the murder are yet to be identified.
A CCTV camera caught the three attackers fleeing the site on a motorcycle. The rider wore a helmet while the other two covered their faces with masks.
Mr. Vaid said, “Today at about 7:30 P.M., when he was coming out of his office and boarding his car, three terrorists, who had come on a motorcycle, opened fire. Two of his PSOs (personal security officers) were also hit. They were shot before they could react.”
The Editor Guild released a statement that read, “An attack on a journalist challenges the very foundations of a free press and vibrant democracy and more so in a state like Jammu and Kashmir. The Guild calls upon the Centre to take necessary steps to ensure a situation where the media can discharge its duties without any fear of violence.”
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti offered her condolences to Bukhari’s family after visiting the editor’s body at the morgue. Mr. Bukhari was instrumental in organizing a number of conferences to promote peace in the Kashmir valley. In 2000 Mr. Bukhari was given police protection after terrorists attacked him.
The killing of @RisingKashmir editor, Shujaat Bukhari is an act of cowardice. It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist. Extremely shocked & pained at his death. My thoughts and prayers are with his bereaved family.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) 14 June 2018
