“The assailants opened fire at Wagay from point blank range and he was hit in the stomach, while his wife received a bullet injury in her thigh and the minor’s hand was injured as well,” said a senior police official.
The injured were rushed to a medical facility where Wagay was declared dead, while the other two were stable and undergoing treatment.
The police and Army cordoned the area and launched a massive search operation to locate the assailants. They were also probing the motive behind the targeted attack, said officials.
Earlier, on December 19, 2024, armed forces had met with success in nearby Kader village of Kulgam, when they killed five militants including a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Farooq Ahmad Bhat. The forces claimed that it was a major breakthrough and a “big jolt” for the Hizbul Mujahideen network as its longest surviving commander Bhat, alias Farooq Nalli, who had been active since 2015, was killed along with his four associates, all residents of Kulgam district.The police and Army have maintained that the number of local militants in Jammu and Kashmir has hit a record low, while 70-80 foreigners in Jammu and an equal number active in the Valley remain a big challenge.J&K CM Omar Abdullah said: “I am deeply saddened by the tragic killing… My heartfelt condolences to his family, and prayers for the swift recovery of his injured wife and daughter.” “Such heinous violence has no place in our society and must be condemned in the strongest terms. May peace and justice prevail.”
Lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha said the perpetrators of the cowardly act would be punished soon. The police had yet to issue a formal statement about the attack and no organisation had taken responsibility for the attack till late evening.
