July 8, 2018: A day ahead of the second death anniversary of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzaffar Wani, government forces killed three civilians, including a teenage girl, in Hawoora village of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Saturday, after protesters clashed with security forces during a raid carried out to arrest youth in the area, residents said.
The killings shattered an uneasy calm that had prevailed in the Valley for past few days after Governor NN Vohra took over the reins of the state for the fourth time in his career.
Vohra took over after BJP pulled out of a coalition government headed by Mehbooba Mufti in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. This is the second time civilians have been killed under Governor's rule in Kashmir. Vohra at the helm of the government was welcomed by the most opposition parties and the people of the state.
"This is a war against unarmed boys and girls of Kashmir. This is a colossal and heartbreaking tragedy!” columnist, Arjimand Hussain Talib, wrote on Facebook.
The fresh killing is going to embarrass the Central government as Home Minister Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leaders had said that peace in the Valley was their priority. There are fears within the security establishment that the fresh killing shouldn’t escalate into mass-scale protests as happened after Burhan’s killing in 2016.
