Shujaat Bukhari, a leading newspaper journalist and editor in Indian-controlled Kashmir, died of bullet wounds suffered in a gun attack in front of his office in Srinagar on Thursday, hours after the United Nations released its first-ever report on rights abuses in Kashmir.
Bukhari, the editor of Rising Kashmir, was among the most respected voices reporting on the violence-ridden Valley for several decades.
A few hours before he was shot and killed, Bukhari had shared the UN High Commission on Human Rights’ report through his twitter handle.
Widespread condemnation followed the news of his killing on both sides of the international border. Among those who condemned the killing was the Indian Interior Minister Rajnath Singh. No group has yet claimed the killings, but the police said in a statement that they suspected militants carried out the attack.
Published in Daily Times, June 15th 2018.
