2 Bihar Labourers Shot By Terrorists In J&K; Civilian Killings At 11

Two labourers from Bihar were gunned down by terrorists on Sunday, taking the number of civilians killed in targeted attacks in Jammu and Kashmir this month to 11.

Terrorists opened fire at the labourers at Vanpoh in Kulgam district on Sunday. Another labourer was injured in the incident.

The killings came a day after a gol-gappa hawker from Bihar and a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh were shot dead by terrorists in the Valley.

The hawker, Arbind Kumar Sah, was shot at point-blank range in Srinagar. The carpenter, Sagir Ahmad, was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama, the police said.

Of the 11 people killed in the spate of attacks on civilians, five were from other states. This indicates that the terrorists want to drive people from other states out of Kashmir, an official said.

Among the victims are Makhan Lal Bindroo, a prominent member of the Kashmiri Pandit community and owner of a pharmacy in Srinagar, Mohammad Shafi Lone, a taxi driver, teachers Deepak Chand and Supunder Kaur and street food vendor Virender Paswan.

The killings have sparked fear in the Valley, prompting an exodus of the Kashmiri Pandit families living in transit camps. Dozens of families, including those of government employees who returned to the Valley after getting jobs under the Prime Minister's special scheme for Kashmiri migrants, have left.

In the wake of the attacks, police have launched a massive crackdown and detained about 900 people across the Union Territory for alleged links with separatists.

The security forces have also intensified anti-terror operations. According to the police, 13 terrorists have been killed over the past one week.

"13 terrorists have been killed in nine encounters after civilian killings. We have killed three out of five terrorists in Srinagar in less than 24 hours," Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar has said.