In a cowardly attack, Islamic terrorists in Kashmir opened fire at an owner of a popular food joint in Dalgate area of Srinagar, merely a few kilometres away from Hotel Lalit where foreign envoy and dignitaries are staying during their two-day trip to Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the reports, the terrorists shot 22-year-old youth Aakash Mehra, son of Ramesh Kumar Mehra who owns a popular food joint Krishna Dhaba, located in a high-security area of the city. He was shot at by terrorists from a close range and critically wounded on Wednesday evening.
The injured youth was immediately rushed to SMHS Hospital where his condition was stated to be stable.
The banned terror outfit Muslim Janbaz Force has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Kashmir police said. After some eyewitnesses claimed that the terrorists ran away after opening fire at Aakash Mehra, the police are looking at the CCTV footage.
BRK:An outfit,Muslim Janbaaz Force owns up attack on iconic Krishna Dhaba, in Srinagar near UN Office
— Rohan Dua (@rohanduaTOI) February 17, 2021
Dhaba has been a popular eating spot among tourists for its all-vegetarian fare
Outfit says they attacked dhaba man, calling him “an outsider as he desired J&K domicile” pic.twitter.com/g9lHXkOgYr
As per the statement issued by the terror group, they attacked the Hindu youth because he is an ‘outsider’ who intends to get domicile status in Kashmir.
The terror group is headed by Chaudhary Yasin, a resident of Handwara. He is the vice-chairman of the United Jihad Council with Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief as group’s chairman.
Terror attack during the presence of foreign dignitaries
The famous vegetarian restaurant is located in Durganag area of the city. Several high-profile installations like the office of UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and the residence of the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Justice are located near the food joint.
The cowardly attack on non-Kashmiris comes just as a group of envoys including those from several European Union countries and a few Organisation of Islamic Countries’ member states have visited Jammu and Kashmir to get a first-hand account of the situation in the newly created union territory.
The envoys are currently staying at a hotel barely two kilometres from the attack site. It is not the first time that terrorists have attacked innocent people in Kashmir during such visits by foreign envoys.
In October 2019, during a private visit of the foreign envoys, terrorists had shot dead five migrant labourers hailing from West Bengal in Shopian.In January, a jeweller named Satpal was shot dead by a terror group called The Resistance Front, a shadow outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group.