Prominent journalist Siddharth Varadarajan on Friday said questions about motives behind the assassination of Shujaat Bukhari last year must be raised by the society including the media fraternity.
Varadarajan was speaking at the launch of a book “Kashmir’sthin red lines” to mark Bukhari’s first death anniversary.
He said government had not made enough efforts to tracekillers of Bukhari, who along with two of his security guards was shot deadoutside his office at Srinagar’s Press Enclave.
“How difficult is it to trace IP addresses from whichslander and vilification campaigns was launched on him? It has been a yearsince Shujaat’s killing but central role of police to identify killers and themotive of assassination is not fulfilled,” Varadarajan said.
“Society at large must not stop to raise voice just becausepolice say two of his assassins were killed.”
The veteran journalist and editor claimed Bukhari’sassassination fitted a pattern of attacks in Kashmir, particularly ofjournalists.
“The aim of this killing was to silence a sane voice andintimidate others for not taking up a public role,” Varadarajan added.
Drawing parallels between the killing of Bengaluru-basededitor Gauri Lankesh and Bukhari, Varadarajan highlighted loopholes in theinvestigations in the case of Bukhari’s killing.
He said Lankesh’s killers have been identified after athorough probe in three different states across the country.
“Today we are very confident who killers of Gauri Lankeshwere. A watertight case was formed on basis of credible set of clues and achargesheet filed. We know broad facts about Shujaat’s killing one year laterbut authorities are unable to clearly tell us about assassins and theirmotive,” Varadrajan said.
Varadarajan also highlighted mounting cases of online hatespeech against Kashmiri people and inability of national media to criticise thepresent government.
“Today in public sphere people are saying things that wereunimaginable a few years back. Callous social media comments on Kashmir aregrowing with each passing day,” he said.
Saeed Naqvi, another widely known veteran journalist alsospoke on the occasion, saying reporting Kashmir was laiden with difficulties.
Naqvi said the recent victory of BJP “was not possiblewithout a captive national electronic media”.
“For journalists, it is very difficult to navigate truth andreport from Kashmir. Today I have arrived here at an unusual time,” Naqvi said.
Earlier the book “Kashmir’s thin red lines” was launched byVaradarajan and Naqvi in presence of late Bukhari’s wife Dr Tehmeena Bukhariand his father Prof Rafi-u-din Bukhari.
Dr Tehmeena who has complied the book which carries articlesand interviews by Shujaat Bukhari broke down during the course of the event.
In his emotional address, late Bukhari’s teenaged son, SyedTamheed Bukhari recounted the cordial relation he shared with his father.
“My father was a busy man but whatever little time I spent withhim there was a lot of learning in it,” Tamheed said.
Columnist Aijaz-ul-Haq read out a review of the compilation,paying rich tributes to the slain journalist and praised his journalisticabilities and writing skills.
CAP: Kashmir’s thin red lines, a compilation of articles andinterviews by Shuja’at Bukhari was released at a program here on Friday to markhis first death anniversary.