Srinagar: Fear has gripped south Kashmir again after the killing of five non-local laborers by unidentified gunmen in Katrochu Village of Kulgam district on Tuesday evening.
The incident has happened after a non- local trader, four drivers and a laborer were killed in south Kashmir’s twin districts of Pulwama and Shopian in last few weeks.
“The several killings in last some days in the area, has prompted the non-local laborers to leave the Kashmir Valley,” Farooq, Ahmad Naik, a resident of the area told wire-service Kashmir News Observer (KNO), as the sun start waning in this part of Valley, residents here confine themselves to their homes again as fear looms over other activities after unidentified gunmen targeted non-locals.
The locals also said that people are now reluctant to rent their buildings to the non- locals after the series of killing incidents in south Kashmir.
As per KNO, since first week of October, the normal life was picking pace in these district after people started plucking of apple crop after the plucking in the area was delayed almost a month in wake of revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir by Government of India on August 5.
Truckers from outside states have been coming in the area from last some days and ferrying of apple boxes were gaining pace. However, the authorities have moved hundreds of trucks from other states stationed at different ‘safer zones’ beyond habitations at historic Mughal road amid tight security cover.
The loading of trucks have abruptly declined in last few days, as authorities are not allowing the non-local drivers to move freely in the area.
The fear has not gripped only non-locals here, but also local inhabitants, where people prefer to finish their work before sun set or keep it for other day due to the fear that they may be harassed, thrashed or killed.
Like other parts of Kashmir, the area is on edge since August 5, after article 370 was scrapped and Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union Territories (UT) (KNO).
