Some unidentified gunmen shot dead Kashmiri lawyer Babar Qadri in Srinagar on Thursday, the Hindustan Times reported. Qadri was rushed to the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences hospital in Srinagar, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
The hospital’s Medical Superintendent Dr Farooq Jan said that Qadri had received a bullet wound, which killed him, Greater Kashmir reported.
Apart from his practice as a lawyer, Qadri was often seen in television debates. On September 21, he had tweeted a screenshot, urging the Jammu Police to register a first information report against a Facebook user for starting a “wrong campaign” against him.
“I urge the state police administration to register FIR [first information report] against this Shah Nazir who has spread wrong campaign that I work for agencies,” Qadri said in his tweet. “This untrue statement can lead to threat to my life.”
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah expressed sorrow at the incident. “The assassination of Babar Qadri this evening is tragic & I unequivocally condemn it,” Abdullah tweeted. “The sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. Sadly his warning was his last tweet.”
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference condemned the shooting, and demanded justice. “JKNC unequivocally condemns the dastardly killing of young activist Adv Babar Qadri,” it tweeted. “His killers must be brought to book and justice be delivered in his murder case, immediately. The party expresses heartfelt condolences with the bereaved family.”
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