Killing of BJP secretary Anil Parihar in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar 'shames humanity', say political leaders

Jammu and Kashmir BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajit were shot dead on Thursday night by unidentified gunmen in the Kisthwar district of the state. The two men were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range  in a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, officials said.

The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said. They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.

In view of the mounting tension in the area, a curfew has been imposed in the region.

The deaths have garnered reactions from BJP leaders across the spectrum.

Expressing condolences to the Parihar family, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that the state police will launch an investigation into the matter:

Shocked & pained by the killing of J&K State BJP leader Sh. Anil Parihar & his brother. My heart goes out to the bereaved family. Spoke to Advisor to J&K Governor, Sh Vijay Kumar regarding the incident. The police will leave no stone unturned to bring the perpetrators to justice.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) November 1, 2018

BJP president Amit Shah also condemned the incident, referring to it as “cowardly”:

Just got the tragic news of killing of Shri Anil Parihar, Secretary @BJP4JnK, and his brother by terrorists in Kishtwar. This is a cowardly act that shames humanity. I grieve the death of my valued colleague and pray that God gives his family strength to bear this untimely loss.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) November 1, 2018

Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel followed suit:

Strongly condemn the killing of @BJP4JnK State Secretary Shri #AnilParihar and his brother Shri #AjitParihar in Kishtwar. An act of pure cowardice - the perpetrators of this crime should be brought to justice. My thoughts are with their families in this hour of grief.

— Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) November 1, 2018

Deeply pained to learn of the killing of J&K BJP secretary Anil Parihar and his brother. Strongly condemn Kishtwar attack and and hope authorities will bring perpetrators to justice.

— Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) November 1, 2018

Union minister Jitendra Singh said he will rush to Kishtwar at the earliest:

Deeply shocked by the killing of a dear Party colleague and BJP J&K State Secretary Anil Parihar and his brother. No words to express the grief. Rushing to Kishtwar at the earliest... that is the only thought on mind. pic.twitter.com/NtxMKRHb7D

— Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) November 1, 2018

BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his condolences to the family:

Strongly condemn the murder of @BJP4JnK State Secretary Shri Anil Parihar & his brother at Kishtwar in Jammu. My prayers are with the family in this hour of grief. No amount of terror or militancy will stifle the efforts of #BJP in bringing back normalcy in the valley.

— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) November 1, 2018

Commerce minister Suresh Prabhu, as well as party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain, did the same:

Distressed by unfortunate news of killing of @BJP4JnK leader Sh. Anil Parihar & his brother by those who betray all human values.This most heinous attack will not prevent democratic process and expression of common man’s will.We all stand behind the family& relatives @BJP4India

— Suresh Prabhu (@sureshpprabhu) November 1, 2018

According to reports , BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul also condemned the attack.

Opposition leaders also reacted to the news on social media. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah took to Twitter to react to the news:

Very sad news. My condolences to Anil & Ajit Parihar’s family & colleagues. May their souls rest in peace. https://t.co/r6PkFnnvKv

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) November 1, 2018

Senior party leader Ashok Gehlot also condemned the news:

I condemn the killing of BJP leader, Sh. Anil Parihar n his brother by terrorists in J&K. Perpetrators of such heinous crimes must be severely punished. Rising terror attacks in State are a matter of grave concern. #JammuAndKashmir https://t.co/YLdg1CnyAU

— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 1, 2018

Times Now reported that Congress chief Gulam Ahmed Mir dubbed the attack “barbaric and unfortunate”, while National Conference leader Devender Singh Rana said the killings were “barbaric, inhuman and most unfortunate” and that “violence has no place in a civilised society".

With inputs from PTI