Srinagar, June 15: Unidentified gunmen Friday afternoon shot dead an acting Block President of ruling National Conference (NC) in Natipora area of Srinagar. This is the third political killing in the Valley during this year.
Police sources said that Abdul Rehman Ganie (63) son of Muhammad Shaban Ganie was shot dead from point blank range while he was on way to the local mosque to attend the Friday prayers. They added that three bullets had pierced the back of Ganie.
Soon after the shootout Ganie was shifted to Bone and Joints Hospital, where the doctors declared him brought day. Ganie was a retired employee of the Sericulture Department. The deceased after retirement from government service had joined NC. Presently, he was acting block president of NC in the Natipora area of Amirakadal constituency represented by the Minister of State for Home Nasir Aslam Wani.
The shootout created panic in the area and people went helter shelter. The shopkeepers downed their shutters and traffic disappeared from the roads in the area. Heavy contingents of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) reached the spot and carried out a search operation. However, no one was arrested.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Srinagar, Syed Aashiq Hussain Bukhari told Greater Kashmir that Ganie was shot from point blank range. “Two persons riding on motorcycle shot him dead from point bank rage. They opened fire from a pistol,” he said.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir Zone S M Sahai told Greater Kashmir that police has started investigations. “We do not have specific lead about the shootout yet,” he said.
Since December 2011, this is the third killing of a NC worker in Kashmir valley while a fourth political activist was critically injured in shootout.
TIME LINE:
On Dec 24, suspected militants shot dead a NC worker Bashir Ahmad Dar in Srinagar's Batamaloo area. He was shot at Rekka Chowk, Batamaloo outside his shop at around 9.20 am.
That was the second killing in the Dar family. Earlier in the early 1990s, Dar's father Muhammad Jamal Dar of Dobhi Mohalla who was block president of the NC was shot dead by militants. But despite Jamal's killing, his son continued to be an active worker of the NC.
On February 18 this year unidentified gunmen shot dead NC worker at Hajan in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district. Ghulam Hassan Dar son of Ghulam Muhammad Dar of Hajan, Sumbal was fired from point blank range by unidentified gunmen at Hajan Chowk, Bandipora and sustained critical bullet injuries and died while being shifted to hospital.
On March 30 this year, unidentified gunmen shot dead a NC worker in Tral area of south Kashmir. Three gunmen entered into the house of Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, a Halqa president of NC in Pinglish village of Tral and opened indiscriminate fir killing Bhat on the spot. While as his wife Haseena Bagum was critically injured.

Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Jun 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 15 Jun 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 16 Jun 2012 00:00:00 IST