A Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead by militants in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. The incident is being seen as another targeted killing in the Valley. Puran Krishan Bhat was attacked near his residence in the Chowdhary Gund area of south Kashmir district, the police said, adding that doctors declared Krishan dead after he was brought to Shopian hospital. The area has been cordoned off and a hunt has been launched to nab the assailants, the police added.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sujit Kumar said, “A Kashmiri Pandit Puran ji has been murdered. We are working on the case. KFF [Kashmir Freedom Fighters] has claimed responsibility for it. We won’t say anything for sure about it, yet. A guard was present here.” This comes barely two months after Sunil Kumar, another Kashmiri Pandit was shot dead by terrorists at an apple orchard in Shopian district. He was shot on August 16. It was also claimed by Kashmir Freedom Fighters, an offshoot of Al Badr.