Thousands throng funeral of slain Indian Kashmir editor
Journalist and editor of Rising Kashmir, was shot dead on Thursday in Srinagar
(AFP/WebDesk) - Thousands of mourners gathered Friday for the funeral of a veteran journalist shot dead by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike outside his office in the main city of Indian Kashmir.
Thousands were gathered for funeral of the slain Kashmiri journalist. Photo: AFP
Shujaat Bukhari, a leading journalist and editor of the English-language daily Rising Kashmir, was leaving his office in Srinagar on Thursday evening when three assailants roared up and fired several shots from close range.
Bukhari, 50, was rushed to hospital but was later declared dead. Two of his personal security guards also died.
On Friday, funeral prayers were held at the Jamia Masjid grand mosque in Srinagar before the burial in his native village in northern Kashmir.
Mourners at the funeral of Shujaat Bukhari. Photo: Social Media
Bukhari, who was given police protection following three attacks on him in the past decade, had been a strong advocate of peace in Kashmir.
The Himalayan territory has been divided since the end of British colonial rule in 1947 and both India and Pakistan claim it in full.
New Delhi has about 500,000 soldiers in the part of Kashmir it controls, where armed groups are fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan.
Bukhari took part in informal peace talks on Kashmir with Pakistani representatives in Dubai last year.
His final tweet, sent just a few hours before his murder, was a link to his website s reporting of the UN human rights chief calling for a major investigation into abuses committed by both India and Pakistan in Kashmir.
— Shujaat Bukhari (@bukharishujaat) June 14, 2018
The identity of the attackers and the motive for the killing was not yet known but Srinagar police released CCTV footage of the three suspects on the motorbike.
The government of Jammu and Kashmir has ordered a high-level investigation into the attack that came hours before the biggest Muslim festival of Eid.
Rising Kashmir on Friday carried a full-blown portrait of Bukhari on its front page against a black background.
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Rising Kashmir front page in the memory of leading Journalist and the Editor, Shujaat Bukhari: Photo: Rising Kashmir
The murder has been condemned by political leaders who hailed Bukhari as a fearless and courageous journalist.
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 14, 2018
— Ken Juster (@USAmbIndia) June 15, 2018
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) June 14, 2018
— Kamran Khan (@AajKamranKhan) June 14, 2018
— Committee to Protect Journalists (@pressfreedom) June 14, 2018
— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 14, 2018
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Rising Kashmir publishmed the condemnation of the brutal murder of Journalist and the Editor, Shujaat Bukhari: Photo: Rising Kashmir
