A 44-year-old man, Ghulam Rasool Magray, was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen at his home in Kandi Khas, a village in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, on Saturday night.
According to police, the assailants broke into Magray’s house around 11 PM and opened fire on him, injuring him critically. He suffered gunshot wounds to his abdomen and wrist. Magray was rushed to the District Hospital in Handwara and then referred to the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital in Srinagar due to the severity of his injuries. Despite efforts to save him, he passed away from his wounds.
Magray’s elderly mother, Hajra Begum, was at home when the incident occurred. “There was a knock on our door at 11 PM, right after we’d finished dinner. He was in bed when someone came and said they needed to search the house,” she recalled.
“It was dark. We had no electricity, and I couldn’t see their faces, but I think there were two of them. They said they came for a search. They abused him and beat him, and then I heard a gunshot as I was coming downstairs.”
She described how the attackers shot her son outside their home. Since her husband passed away, Hajra had been living with her son, who worked as a labourer in the fields. “He had collected some money for my operation. He used to cook, wash dishes, and do the laundry. I have nobody except him,” she added tearfully.
Magray’s brother, who lives nearby with his family, spoke to reporters but was too emotional to give his name. “A group of unknown gunmen barged into the house around 10:45 PM, saying they had to carry out searches. They brought him out and shot him here,” he said.
Some residents mentioned that Magray had psychological issues, which made it difficult for him to find a match. However, they denied claims that he was a social activist, as suggested in some reports.
One resident raised concerns about security. “For the past five days, there was a large military presence in the area. Troops were stationed everywhere, covering the entire forest. So where did the attackers come from? It’s a question we should be asking,” he said.
The police have registered a case and launched an investigation, though the motive behind the attack is still unclear. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the shooting.
This incident follows the deadly attack in Pahalgam earlier in the week, which killed 26 tourists and a resident. Security forces have stepped up patrols and checks in the region to prevent further attacks.
On April 27, Khursheed Ahmad Sheikh, a member of the J&K Legislative Assembly from the area, visited the family. “We demand justice. Innocent killings must stop,” Sheikh said, while talking to reporters.
“These so-called unknown gunmen killed him, but it’s unfortunate that nobody from the authorities came here. What message is the government sending? What is our police doing? What is our elected government doing? Are they telling us that we are separate, that Kashmiri people don’t matter?”
On April 28, BJP Leader Ravinder Raina also visited Handwara to offer condolences to Magray’s family.
“What has happened to our Kashmir?” a woman cried as she spoke to Raina.
