Anil Parihar and his brother were shot dead in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar
Highlights
- BJP state secretary Anil Parihar gunned down near his home
- Police trying to find out if attackers were terrorists or criminals
- Curfew imposed in the area, army on standby to prevent unrest
A BJP leader and his brother were shot dead by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar on Thursday evening, the police said, triggering fears of unrest and prompting authorities to impose a curfew in the area.
The killing of BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit was the third attack on political workers in the last one month in the state, after the killing of two National Conference workers and a PDP leader in Srinagar.
"We are trying to find out the identity of the killers," senior police officer Dilbagh Singh told NDTV.
The army has been asked to remain on standby amid fears that the incident could provoke violence.
The two men were returning from their shop around 8 pm when they were fired upon from close range in a dark, narrow lane leading to their house in the Tapal Gali Mohalla of Kishtwar town which falls in the Jammu region of the state.
The attackers were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, officials told news agency IANS.
They were taken to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh and BJP chief Amit Shah condemned the attack.
A curfew has been imposed in Kishtwar and restrictions are being enforced in other towns of the Chenab Valley region of Jammu. Security forces have been put on high alert.
(With inputs from PTI and IANS)