Three BJP workers including a local youth leader was killed by suspected militants in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday evening.
The Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be a shadow group of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, has claimed responsibility for the killings.
Reports said the militants, sprayed bullets at Fida Hussain Yatoo, the district general secretary of BJYM, the BJP’s youth wing and two other party workers Umar Ramzan Hajam and Umar Rashid Beig, at YK Pora village in Kulgam, while they were travelling in a car.
While Yatoo died on the spot, the other two were declared dead on arrival at a hospital in Qazigund.
“Today, at about 2020 hours, Kulgam police received information about a terror crime incident at YK Pora, where terrorists had fired upon three BJP workers,” police said in a statement. “Preliminary investigations revealed that terrorists fired upon three BJP workers at Eidgah YK Pora, due to which they got injured. They were shifted to nearby hospital… where they were declared as brought dead,” the statement said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the killings and said the three were bright youngsters doing excellent work in the Union territory.
“I condemn the killing of 3 of our young Karyakartas. They were bright youngsters doing excellent work in J&K,” Modi said in a tweet. “My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace,” he tweeted.
Condemning the killing, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah in a tweet condoled the families of the deceased.
PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti while condoling the deaths blamed them on the Centre’s “ill thought out policies”.
“Saddened to hear about the killing of three BJP workers in Kulgam. Condolences to their families. At the end of the day, its people of J&K who pay with their lives because of GOI’s ill thought out policies,” she tweeted.
Police have filed a case of murder and cordoned off the area. The search for the terrorists is underway.