The killing of Rajni Bala, a Dalit teacher from Jammu’s Samba district, was the seventh targeted attack, making May so far the deadliest month in Kashmir this year. Rajni was shot critically on Tuesday morning shortly after her husband, Raj Kumar, also a teacher, dropped her near her school in south Kashmir’s Gopalpora village. Raj is posted at another school of Kulgam district. She was taken to hospital by staff and locals but doctors could not save her. She leaves behind a minor daughter who is enrolled at a government school. The family of three was staying at a rented accommodation in south Kashmir Shopian’s Chawalgam village for more than a decade.
According to reports, the couple had recently taken up their safety and security with the administration in the aftermath of the killing of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit, on May 12. The orders for their transfer had been issued, according to officials. Gopalpora village went into mourning after the news of Rajni’s death was confirmed. The school administration closed the premises for academic activities while local traders shut their shops. At her native village of Nanke Chak in Jammu’s Samba district, hundreds of mourners, including elderly and women, gathered to condole with her in-laws.
Her brother-in-law, Vijay Kumar, told reporters that he had asked the couple to return to Samba after the killing of Rahul Bhat. “They were waiting for an official order. They were helpless and insisted on continuing at their places of posting,” he said. The broad daylight killing set off a renewed wave of protests by Kashmiri Pandits in parts of the Valley who have been demanding their relocation to Jammu in the view of the deterioration in the region’s security climate.
J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha tweeted: “Terrorist attack on a school teacher, Rajni Bala is the most reprehensible act. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family. Terrorists and their sympathizers will be given unforgettable response for dastardly attack.” According to official data, Kashmir has witnessed 16 targeted killings this year which includes members of the minority Hindu community, migrant workers, political activists and security forces personnel.
Courtesy : News9live
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