Jeweler Shot Dead By Terrorist.

Jeweler who Obtained Domicile Certificate in Kashmir Shot Dead By Terrorist.

A Kashmir based Punjabi jeweler aged 65, Satpal Nischal was shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar at a busy market on Thursday. This came weeks after he obtained the domicile certificate under the new law which permits people who have lived in Jammu Kashmir for more than 15 years to acquire immovable properties said the police on Friday. The victim was living at the capital of Jammu Kashmir for over 50 years now.

A terrorist unit, The Resistant Front had claimed the responsibility for the killing and after the murder the terrorist group in a statement said that “the jeweler was part of the settler project and anyone who obtains domicile will be treated as occupiers.”

After the center’s move of scrapping the state’s special powers under the Article 370 of the constitution and its bifurcation into two union territories, 10 lakh domicile certificates have been issued in the Kashmir valley so far. Out of those most of them were issued to the local residents. The government has yet not released any data on how many non-locals have received the domicile certificate in Kashmir. Last year the central government had notified that a new law will now permit residents of any state in the country to purchase immovable properties in Jammu Kashmir.

The victim’s families are originally from Gurudaspur in Punjab but have been living in Srinagar for decades and many members of the Nischal family are in the gold jewelry business. When the outbreak of terrorism had triggered in the valley and a mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits followed the Nischal’s family still remained in the city.

A senior police officer said “We have picked up a few people. One of the attackers can be seen in the CCTV footage as well. We are hopeful that we will be able to track him down.” The case is being investigated by the police thoroughly and at the same they are also trying to analyze the threat perception to other domicile holders in the valley.