Jammu and Kashmir: Politicians visit family of slain Kashmir Pandit in Pulwama, Muslims help perform his last rites

On Monday, a large number of Muslims turned out at Achan area in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir for the last rites Sanjay Sharma.

42-year-old Sharma, who was shot dead by terrorists on Sunday morning near his home at Achen, is survived by wife and two daughters and a son.

When the body was taken out of his house for the last rites, there were heart wrenching scenes and the atmosphere was inconsolable, witnesses said.

The killing sparked protests and widespread condemnation.

PDP president was among the first politicians to visit Achan to express condolences with the bereaved family.

She said the people of Kashmir, especially Muslims are ashamed of this killing.

“We are the same Muslims that when riots were going on in the country in 1947, the Muslims saved Sikhs and the Pandits. Kashmiri Muslims need to take every possible measure to provide a sense of security to the minority community. Today the Muslims themselves are in trouble here as they now facing suppression from the government on the pretext of eliminating militancy,” she said.

She also hit out at BJP for failing to protect the Pandits.

“If the militancy as we are told is over then who killed him (Sanjay)? What is the government doing to protect Pandits? I want to appeal to the government to provide a job to the widow,” she told reporters.

In a tweet, Mufti later said instead of promoting films sowing hatred, it would help if the government of India actually secured the lives of minorities in J&K.

BJP president Ravinder Raina dared militants and Pakistan after visiting the family of Sanjay.

“These terrorists have murdered humanity. What had Sanjay ji done when he was living in Pulwama for the last many years… But these cowardly terrorists attacked him. What daredevil act is this?” he asked.

Earlier the day the BJP took out a protest in Srinagar against the killing.

Meanwhile, All Party Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq termed the killing “a gruesome act”.

“Killing of human beings in such a manner is a tragedy that Kashmir has been witnessing for the past three and a half decades now, with no seeming end in near future. State policy of extreme repression and unilateral interventions countered by equally extreme and viscous vengeance is a vortex we have got caught into, leading to extreme suffering of Kashmiris of all hues,” Mirwaiz, who is under house arrest, said in a statement.

He said in this situation Kashmiri pandits living in Kashmir unfortunately have become sitting ducks.

"Besides, in the prevailing coercive environment with no space for outreach , contact among communities and people is also fast disappearing,” he said.

The statement said that after “political disempowerment”, economic “assault” is systematically being foisted on people of J&K.

“Such policies only exacerbate the situation . the authorities should reconsider all these measures rather than continue with them,” the statement said.

(With UNI inputs)