People carry the body of the slain local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Wasim Bari at a hospital in Bandipora town, about 66 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 9, 2020. The young ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two of his family members (father and brother) were killed Wednesday night in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. (Str/Xinhua)
SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 9 (Xinhua) -- A young ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and two of his family members (father and brother) were killed Wednesday night in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.
The trio was attacked outside their residence in Bandipora town, about 66 km north of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Police blame militants for the killings.
"Militants fired upon BJP worker Wasim Bari here. During indiscriminate firing Wasim Bari, his father Bashir Ahmad and his brother Umer Bashir were wounded," a police official posted in Bandipora said. "The trio was immediately shifted to hospital but unfortunately all the three succumbed to their wounds."
Bari was former district president of BJP in Bandipora.
BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav has expressed shock over the killings.
Authorities had deployed eight security personnel to guard the leader. However, it was not immediately known why the policemen were not accompanying him at the time of the attack.
Soon after the incident, government forces cordoned off the village and launched searches to nab the assailants. However, no arrests were made until the last reports poured in.
Militants in the region usually target families and individuals for their possible links with police and defense agencies.
So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility of the killings. Enditem
