 "Wasim Bari")
A BJP leader, his brother and father were shot dead by terrorists in Bandipore town of North Kashmir on Wednesday night. Jammu and Kashmir authorities later arrested seven policemen for alleged negligence of duty.
The incident took place at the shop-cum-residence of BJP leader Wasim Bari, earlier district president of the party, where some motorcycle-borne terrorists attacked the three from a close range with a silencer-fitted revolver, barely 10 metres away from the main police station.
J&K Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh said "Bari and his family members were at the shop when the terrorists fired at them. The trio was shifted to the district hospital in a critical condition where they succumbed to their injuries." Besides Bari, his brother Umar and father Bashir Ahmad were killed in the firing, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquired about the killing of BJP leader and expressed condolences to the family. "Over the telephone, PM Narendra Modi enquired about the gruesome killing of Wasim Bari. He also extended condolences to the family of Wasim," Union Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh said.
Seven policemen have been arrested for alleged negligence in protecting Bari, police said. File Photo
Meanwhile, BJP president J P Nadda said that the death of party leader Wasim Bari and his family members in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir was a "huge loss" for the party and asserted that their sacrifices will not go in vain. "We lost Sheikh Wasim Bari, his father & brother in Bandipora, J&K today in a cowardly attack on them. This is a huge loss for the party. My deepest condolences are with the family. The entire Party stands with the bereaved family. I assure you that their sacrifice will not go in vain," Nadda tweeted.
The Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) also condemned the attack and called the incident as very "shameful" and "mindless". Former chief minister Omar Abdullah expressed his condolences over the incident. "I condemn the attack. My condolences to their families in this time of grief. Sadly the violent targeting of mainstream political workers continues unabated," he tweeted.
Sorry to hear about the murderous terror attack on the BJP functionaries & their father in Bandipore earlier this evening. I condemn the attack. My condolences to their families in this time of grief. Sadly the violent targeting of mainstream political workers continues unabated.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) July 8, 2020
"Distraught at the recurring spate of killing of political workers in Kashmir. While we express our unconditional sympathies with the family, the administration has squarely failed in ensuring adequate security arrangements amid deteriorating security conditions," the PDP tweeted.
