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HomeIndia44-yr-old shot in Kupwara four days after Pahalgam attack, leaves behind partially...

44-yr-old shot in Kupwara four days after Pahalgam attack, leaves behind partially blind mother

Daily wage worker Ghulam Rasool Magray, the victim, lived with his ailing mother who he looked after. Magray was not mentally stable & unmarried, says local MLA.

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New Delhi: Four days after the Pahalgam terror attack, unidentified gunmen killed a 44-year-old civilian in north Kashmir’s Kupwara on the evening of Saturday.

The civilian, identified as Ghulam Rasool Magray, was taken out of his house in Kandi Khas area before he was shot at. Magray, according to reports, was hit in his abdomen and wrist. A daily wage worker, Magray lived with his ailing mother who he looked after.

Magray was immediately rushed to the District hospital in Handwara from where he was later referred to Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, one of the largest tertiary care hospitals in Kashmir. A few hours later, Magray succumbed to his injuries about 2 a.m. in the hospital.

Calls to Senior Superintendent of Police, Kupwara, Ghulam Jeelani and Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Ayushi Sudan, went unanswered. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.

Langate MLA Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh, who was among the first visitors to meet Magray’s mother, told ThePrint that about 10:30 p.m. at night, Magray had returned home after offering namaz in a nearby mosque. “He had refused to have dinner and had directly gone to sleep on the first floor of his house,” Sheikh said.

A little while later, Magray’s mother heard someone knocking at the door, but she did not open it. The unknown gunmen allegedly entered the adjacent house, jumped in Magray’s premises through their wall and brought him out. “He was shot right at the entrance of his house,” Sheikh told ThePrint, adding that the man died soon after he was taken to the operation theatre.

Sheikh said whether or not Magray’s killing is related to the Pahalgam attack is a matter of investigation, but the killing of an innocent civilian is the murder of humanity. “He had no connections with militancy. His elder brother had crossed the border in the nineties but he had never returned. Magray was unmarried and was not mentally stable,” the MLA added.

With her son’s death, the mother is now left completely alone, Sheikh said. “A partially blind woman has been left without any support. This is among one of the many stories of Kashmir that we have heard over the years,” he asserted.

What was most concerning, he said, was that nobody from the administration was there to investigate the matter, with no cordons or search operations in place. “I called the Deputy Commissioner but she said that it is not always necessary that a magistrate will be present there. I found it disgusting,” he said, adding that he spoke to the civilians and calmed them down before the possibility of a protest breaking out.

Like in the case of Pahalgam killings, Magray’s death should also be condemned across party lines and investigated properly. “I spoke to the chief minister (Omar Abdullah) sahib. I brought this matter to his notice, and I will also raise this matter in the Assembly tomorrow (Monday). This requires a proper judicial probe,” he said.

Later, the Langate MLA posted on ‘X’ how a “heartbreaking silence now fills the shattered home” of the two-member family.

Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) president Altaf Bukhari also commented on ‘X’, condemning the killing of the civilian. “Such acts are utterly inhuman and deserve the strongest condemnation. My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Words fall short in conveying my condolences for their profound loss and grief,” he added.

(Edited by Tony Rai)


Also Read: Kashmiri Pandits asked to WFH post Pahalgam attack. ‘Is this a permanent solution?’


 

 

 

 

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