SRI NAGAR: As foreign envoys arrived in Srinagar on a two-day visit on Wednesday morning, militants in the evening shot at a dhaba owner’s relative at the high security Dalgate area of the city.Militants fired at Akash Mehra, 22, near Krishna Dhaba area at Durga Nag area of Dalgate around 7.35 pm. Mehra was taken to the SMHS Hospital. A lesser known militant outfit Muslim Janbaz Force has claimed responsibility for the attack. The outfit claimed that it would not allow India to change demography of Kashmir through the domicile law.
Medical Superintendent Nazir Ahmad Choudhary said the youth received a bullet in his chest and is being operated on. His condition is critical, he added.A police officer of Ram Munshi Bagh police station said Akash, who is from Janipora area of Jammu, is the relative of the Krishna Dhaba owner and was working in the dhaba.Immediately after the incident, a team of police personnel and security men rushed to the spot. The area was cordoned off and searches were conducted.
The area where the militant attack has taken place is a highly secured area. The office of the UN Military Observers is located near the spot. Besides, a police station is located near the spot. A police officer said CCTV footage is being analyzed to identify the militants. On December 31, militants shot dead jeweler Satpal Nishal, 67, inside his shop at Hari Singh High Street in Srinagar. Satpal received the domicile certificate a few days before he was shot dead.