Woman shot dead by militants

SRINAGAR: A Kashmiri woman was brutally killed by unknown assailants after shooting her twice from point blank range somewhere in the Valley’s southern Shopian district. A video of the incident, blamed on separatist militants by the police, has gone viral on social media.

In the video clip, the woman can be seen pleading for mercy with folded hands before a man shoots her twice. The police later identified her as Ishrat Muneer Bhat, a resident of Dangerpora village of militancy-infested Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A statement issued by the police said, “In a gruesome act of terror, terrorists shot dead a 25-year-old girl from a point blank range. The dead body was retrieved by police from Dragad area of Zainapora in Shopian district.”

The statement said, “Terrorists while perpetrating this gruesome act, made video recording of the incident and circulated it on social media”. It added that the police has registered a case under relevant sections of law and initiated investigation. It claimed that the police investigation “is focused on some credible leads and it is expected soon the culprits shall be brought before the law”.

No militant outfit has admitted responsibility for the murder. The local sources said that the woman was abducted by a group of masked men who took her to Cherbagh village of Shopian’s Dragad area before killing her.

Meanwhile, two Jaish-e-Muhammad militants were shot dead by the security forces during an overnight clash in Drabgam village of Pulwama on Friday. The police identified the slain men as Shahid Mushtaq Baba and Innayat Abdullah Zigar, both local residents.