NC’s old hand shot dead

Srinagar, June 16

Suspected militants Friday shot dead a veteran worker of ruling National Conference in Natipora here.
70-year-old Abdul Rehman Ganai was fired upon when he was heading towards a local mosque to offer Friday prayers, police said.
Eyewitnesses told Kashmir Reader they heard four bullet shots at around 1:15 pm and, as the people rushed to the spot, they found Ganai in a pool of blood.

Police immediately rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. No arrests were however made.

Ganai was rushed to the nearby Bone and Joints hospital at Barzulla where doctors declared him brought dead. Later, hundreds of people participated in the funeral of Ganai.

Talking to Kashmir Reader, SDPO Shabir Ahmad said police was probing into the killing and no one has been arrested so far.
Ganai, a former employee of the Silk Factory, was National Conference’s block president and believed to be close to Nasir Sogami who represents Amira Kadal constituency in the Assembly.

Ganai had announced his resignation from the NC at the height of 2010 agitation and sought public apology in a local mosque. A year later, however, he rejoined the party.   

This is the first political killing in Srinagar this year and comes three weeks after a daring attack by militants on a CRPF patrol near Rainawari in downtown city which left seven CRPF personnel injured.
CM outraged at ‘silence of netizens’
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has expressed outrage at Ganai’s killing but was surprised at the silence of netizens over the incident. “I suppose because Abdul Rehman Ganai was an NC activist his killing today is not worthy of the outrage we often see here in Twitteristan,” Omar wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Meanwhile, NC president and Union Minister Dr. Farooq Abdullah, and party’s general secretary Sheikh Nazir have also condemned the killing of Ganie.

 In a statement here, the NC leaders called Ganie a “very pious man, a great social worker and an old party activist ready to help people.” They prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul and for courage to the bereaved family.

Dr. Farooq, while expressing deep shock and grief over the incident said “such killings are inhuman, heartless and cold blooded.”

Sheikh Nazir said that it’s a great loss to the party and extended his condolences to the bereaved members.

Opposition PDP has also condemned Ganai’s killing. In a statement PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said violence should have no place in any society “especially the one like ours which have suffered immense trouble and miseries for the last two decades on account of use of force.”

Mehbooba said the frequency of such incidents as is evident by the recent attacks on panches and sarpanches has of late grown at an alarming pace and the government has been unable to explain the spurt in violence. She said on the one hand the present government is pushing the people  to wall as a result of its inefficiency, misgovernance and corruption and on the other hand it is unable to safeguard the lives of ordinary, defenseless people.

Meanwhile, the MOS Home Nasir Aslam Wani who is the concerned MLA Amirakadal while expressing grief over the death said that he was a very staunch worker and always ready to work for the downtrodden. A delegation Including, Ali Mohammad Sagar, Ali Mohammad Dar, G.A. Saloora visited the residence of Abdul Rehman Ganie and participated in his jinazah.