Punjabi jeweller shot dead in Valley months after getting domicile certificate

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Srinagar: A Jammu and Kashmir based Punjabi jeweller was shot dead in Srinagar. He was based in J&K for the past four decades and was shot dead by motor-cycle borne terrorists in the city’s Sarai Bala locality.

The Pakistan backed terror group, The Resistance Front (TRF) while claiming responsibility for the killing said that the new domicile law was unacceptable and everyone other than indigenous Kashmiris would be treated as occupiers if they acquire property in J&K. More to come, the TRF also said in the statement that was circulated on the social media.

The first time that the agencies got to know about this group was in March 2020, when the police busted a module of The Resistance Front.” The module was busted on April 23, 2020 at Sopore and it was found back then, it was linked to the Lashkar-e-Tayiba.

A senior security official tells OneIndia that this group is the Lashkar-e-Tayiba which is operating under a new name. It is an age old trick of these groups to change names so that there is an element of surprise for the security agencies.

Satpal Nischal who was shot dead in the congested Sarai Bala area got a domicile certificate a few months back. He became the first domicile holder to be targeted by terrorists since the new law took effect. He was the owner of Nischal Jewellers in Srinagar and the police said that he took three bullets on his chest.

After getting the domicile certificate, he purchased a shot at the Hanuman Mandir in Srinagar and a house at Indira Nagar.

As per the new domicile law, non-permanent residents who have residency proof of at least 15 years in J-K are entitled to get domicile certificates.