Image copyright Shujaat Bukhari/Twitter

A leading newspaper journalist and editor in Indian-administered Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, has been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Srinagar.

Bukhari, a frequent contributor to the BBC News website, was attacked in his car near the office of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, which he edited.

He was taken to hospital but was later declared dead.

One of his guards was also killed in the attack and another is critically injured, police told the BBC.

No group has claimed the killings but police say militants are suspected to have carried out the attack.

Bukhari described the threat to Kashmiri journalists in a 2016 article for BBC News.

"Threats to life, intimidation, assault, arrest and censorship have been part of the life of a typical local journalist," he wrote.

He was well-known in Kashmir and was previously a correspondent for the Indian newspaper The Hindu. He was in his early 50s and is survived by his wife, son, daughter and parents.

Read articles by Shujaat Bukhari for BBC News:

India's Interior Minister Rajnath Singh described him as a courageous and fearless journalist.

BBC colleagues in India paid tribute.

The Himalayan region of Kashmir has been a flashpoint between India and Pakistan for decades. It is one of the most militarised zones in the world.

The killing came hours after the UN's human rights office called for an independent inquiry into human rights violations in both parts of Kashmir, run respectively by India and Pakistan.</s>SRINAGAR: Veteran journalist and Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari and his PSO were shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside the newspaper's office in the heart of Srinagar, police officials said on Thursday.Bukhari, who was in his 50s, was leaving his office in Press Enclave in the city centre Lal Chowk for an iftar party when he was shot, officials said.While one of the personal security officers (PSO) guarding him was killed, another policeman and a civilian were injured, they added.The condition of the two injured in the shooting, which comes a day ahead of Eid, is critical, they said.Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said in a message that she was shocked and saddened by Bukhari's "sudden demise"."The scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. I strongly condemn this act of mindless violence & pray for his soul to rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family," the chief minister said on Twitter.Terrorism, she said, has hit a new low with Bukhari's killing, "that too on the eve of Eid"."We must unite against forces seeking to undermine our attempts to restore peace. Justice will be done," Mehbooba said.It was not immediately clear how many gunmen attacked Bukhari, who earlier worked with The Hindu newspaper as its Kashmir correspondent.Bukhari was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir Valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan.</s>SRINAGAR: Unknown gunmen shot a veteran journalist and his police bodyguard dead on Thursday in the main city of violence-plagued Indian-occupied-Kashmir, police and witnesses said.



Shujaat Bukhari, editor of an English language daily Rising Kashmir, had just entered his vehicle outside his office in the city´s press enclave when assailants fired several shots from close range.

"He (Bukhari) is no more. One of his two police bodyguards also died in the attack," a top police officer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another police guard and the vehicle driver were critically wounded in the attack.

Fellow journalists were on the scene soon afterward. Bukhari was slumped over in the back seat, and one of the police bodyguards had a gruesome head wound.

Bukhari was a protected journalist, guarded by two armed police around the clock, in an area of India where political violence and threats to reporters is common.

His final tweet, sent just a few hours before his murder, was a link to his website´s reporting of the UN human rights chief calling for a major investigation into abuses committed by India in Kashmir.

Pakistan strongly condemned the targeted killing of the Kashmiri journalist and demanded Indian authorities to investigate the matter and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

"Pakistan strongly condemns the targeted killing of renowned Kashmiri journalist, Shujaat Bukhari and his guard in Srinagar, IOK today," said Dr Faisal, a spokesman for Pakistan's Foreign Office, on Twitter.

"Our heartfelt condolences and prayers are for their families. Violence must end; Perpetrators should be brought to justice.

"Bukhari's targeted killing within hours of his tweet on the OHCHR report on Jammu & Kashmir - terrible coincidence, raises serious questions - India should investigate and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice," Faisal added.

Amnesty India described Bukhari as "a brave and outspoken voice for justice and equality in Jammu and Kashmir". "This is a grave attack on press freedom and democratic voices," the Editors Guild of India added on Twitter.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh described Bukhari´s murder as an "act of cowardice".

"It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist," he added. Witnesses said Bukhari died on the spot while the assailants fled immediately.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Pro-independence youth fighting Indian rule of Kashmir as well as government forces have been accused in the past of abducting, attacking and threatening journalists.

The attack comes a day before the end of a unilateral halt in military operations against the Kashmiri youth for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Groups fighting for independence of Kashmir have rejected the brief "ceasefire".</s>[India], June 14 (ANI): Shujaat Bukhari, editor of Rising Kashmir newspaper, was shot dead by terrorists in Press Colony in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar on Thursday.

Bukhari's Special Police Officer (SPO) also got injured during the attack, and has been shifted to the hospital.

Condemning the incident 'on the eve of Eid', Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti expressed grief over Bukhari's demise.

"Shocked & deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shujaat Bukhari. The scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. I strongly condemn this act of mindless violence & pray for his soul to rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family," Mehbooba tweeted.</s>Srinagar : In an audacious attack that has left the media industry shaken, senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari was shot dead by unknown attackers in Srinagar on Thursday evening. Mr Bukhari, the editor of the ‘Rising Kashmir’ newspaper, was attacked when he had stepped out of his office in Press Colony in the city. He was hit by multiple bullets at close range. A security guard on his protection detail was also shot dead while another was injured.

 This is the first attack on a journalist in a long time in Kashmir and provoked widespread shock and condemnation.

 “It’s a very unfortunate incident. Today at about 7:30 pm when he was coming out of his office and boarding his car, three terrorists came on a motorcycle and opened fire. Two of his PSOs (personal security officers) were also hit and one of them is no more the other is under treatment. They were shot before they could react,” Jammu and Kashmir police chief SP Vaid told NDTV.

 “They (the terrorists) chose the Iftaar time when everybody was rushing home. We will look into who these people are,” he added.

 Shujaat Bukhari was given police protection since an attack on him in 2000. He was instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan.

Shujaat Bukhari was the editor of the newspaper ‘Rising Kashmir’ and was given police protection since an attack on him in 2000</s>SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A senior journalist and his two police bodyguards were fatally shot Thursday by assailants in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police and the journalist's colleagues said.

Shujaat Bukhari was shot by unidentified gunmen as he left his office in Srinagar, the disputed region's main city.

Bukhari, who was a group editor for three daily newspapers and a weekly, including the English-language daily Rising Kashmir, was targeted as he was getting into his vehicle.

Bukhari and one police bodyguard were declared dead on arrival at a hospital. The other bodyguard died later.

Police said the assailants came on a motorbike and fired a volley of bullets toward the victims, leaving Bukhari and his guards in a pool of blood.

He died before he could get medical aid, said Mohammed Omar, the group manager of Bukhari's newspapers.

"I would always accompany him to his vehicle when he would leave the office. I did the same today but I stopped half way as I got a phone call. In the meantime as he left I heard sounds of intense firing. I rushed to his vehicle where I saw him in a pool of blood," Omar said.

Bukhari was an advocate for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute and was often part of peace conferences between India and Pakistan attended by former diplomats and generals from both countries.

Journalists in Kashmir have worked under tremendous stress and have been targeted in the past, some fatally, by both the Indian state and militant groups.

About 15 years ago, journalist Parvaz Sultan was shot and killed in the same Press Enclave in Srinagar, where many media offices are located.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, but both claim it in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.

Most Kashmiris support the rebel cause while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.

Nearly 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian military crackdown.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Veteran journalist Shujaat Bukhari was assassinated on Thursday evening by unknown gunmen outside his office in the Indian-administered Kashmir.

Bukhari was shot outside his office in the commercial hub of the region’s main city of Srinagar.

An eyewitness told Al Jazeera that he heard the intense firing which left the journalist along with his two security guards lying in a pool of blood in a car.

“I was just leaving my office when I heard the intense firing. Bukhari had boarded the car and was leaving when he was shot repeatedly from a close range. He died on the spot due to multiple bullet wounds,” said a photo journalist who was present at the scene but did not want to be named.

Doctors declared the journalist and one of his security guards dead on arrival at a local hospital. However, another security guard later succumbed to his injuries, the police said.

Bukhari, who was a group editor for three daily newspapers, was leaving the office of his English daily Rising Kashmir when he was indiscriminately fired upon after boarding his car, according to the police.

Though no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the police in the region said "preliminary investigational finding indicates this is a terror attack”. 

 

 Bukhari’s colleague Yusuf Jameel told Al Jazeera that the “assassination has sent shockwaves among the journalists in the region who have been working in the volatile atmosphere”.

“This has devastated the whole journalist fraternity in the region. But this incident is not the first one. In the past too, we have lost many journalists. This highlights how much difficult conditions journalists are working in Kashmir.”

Bukhari, who was in his 50’s, was assigned security guards after he faced an assassination attempt in 2000.

In the past, Bukhari had served as the bureau chief of Indian national paper The Hindu in Kashmir for more than a decade.

The Editors Guild of India while condemning the attack called on the government to ensure safety and security for the media in the state.

“An attack on a journalist challenges the very foundations of a free press and vibrant democracy and more so in a state like Jammu and Kashmir that is going through militancy. The Guild also calls upon the state and central government to enhance security for all journalists in Jammu and Kashmir,” they said in a statement.

Robert Mohoney, deputy executive director for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) described the killing as a “blatant attack on the freedom of the press.” 

 

 “Journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir have long been subject to a range of threats. Authorities must turn this rising tide of risks by thoroughly investigating this murder and holding the perpetrators to account,” he said.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) report released in December last year said that the media in Jammu and Kashmir has “walked the razor’s edge” for the past 30 years, facing pressures from all sides of the conflict. 

 

 According to the report, twenty-one journalists have been killed due to the conflict – either directly targeted or caught in the cross-fire in Kashmir.

Kashmir continues to be a bone of contention between India and Pakistan as both claim it in its entirety.

Rebels have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, demanding that the territory is united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict so far.

India has about 500,000 soldiers in the part of Kashmir it controls, where armed groups are fighting for independence or a merger with Pakistan.</s>SRINAGAR, India: Police in India's Kashmir investigating the killing of a prominent journalist and two of his security guards arrested a suspect on Friday, an official said.

Syed Shujaat Bukhari, editor of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, was leaving his office in Srinagar, the summer capital of India's Jammu and Kashmir state, when he was shot at close range on Thursday by gunmen on motorbikes.

The suspect, named as Zubair Qadri, was seen in a video stealing the pistol of one of the guards shot dead with Bukhari, Inspector General of Kashmir S.P. Pani told reporters.

"The pistol has since been recovered and he is being questioned about his presence at the scene of the crime. So far, he has not been able to give any convincing answers," Pani said.

Pani, who described the killing of the journalist as a terror attack, said the identities of the three other gunmen were still being ascertained.

Militant groups Lashkar-e-Taiba and United Jehad Council also condemned the killing and denied involvement. Instead, they blamed "Indian agencies".

Bukhari had been a strong advocate of peace in disputed Kashmir, at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the Muslim majority region.

More than 130 people have been killed this year in militant violence in Kashmir.

India has long accused Pakistan of training and arming militants and helping them infiltrate across the Line of Control that separates the two sides in the region, a charge Islamabad denies.</s>Rising Kashmir newspaper editor Shujaat Bukhari on Thursday was shot dead by suspected terrorists in Press Colony in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) capital Srinagar. The terrorists attacked editor Shujaat Bukhari and his security personnel in Srinagar’s Press Colony. According to initial information, two of his security personnel have also succumbed to the injuries. Following the incident, the security forces in the valley have launched search operations to nab the terrorists.

J&K DGP SP Vaid while on the situation said described it is an unfortunate incident. Speaking on the attack, SP Vaid said that 3 terrorists on a motorcycle attacked Bukhari at 7:30 pm on Thursday when he leaving from his office and boarding his car. Bukhari’s PSOs were also attacked before they could react.

Following the attack on Shujaat Bukhari, the J&K police has said that an investigation has been launched in the killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari. Our preliminary investigation indicates that it was a terror attack.

Senior journalist Iftikhar Gilani while speaking on the sad demise of Shujaat Bukhari said, “Had a conversation with him just 20 minutes before the incident. It’s really shocking. This is the situation of journalists in Kashmir.”

Giving her reaction on the attack, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said that she is shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shujaat Bukhari. “The scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. Strongly condemn this act of mindless violence and pray for his soul to rest in peace. Deepest condolences to his family.”

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh termed it an act of cowardice. “It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist. Extremely shocked and pained. My thoughts and prayers are with his bereaved family.”

Reports say that Shujaat Bukhari was with his PSO his SUV was attacked. The journalist was also associated with The Hindu before working for Rising Kashmir. He was previously attacked in the year 2000, following which he was given police protection. Speaking on the sad demise of the journalist, Kashmir Times executive editor Anuradha Jamwal said that it was an attack on the freedom of the press.

Also, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah while mentioning that he is shocked beyond words, said that may Shujaat find a place in Jannat and may his loved ones find strength at this difficult time.</s>SRINAGAR - A leading newspaper journalist and editor in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Shujaat Bukhari, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Srinagar on Thursday.

Bukhari was attacked in his car near the office of the Rising Kashmir newspaper, which he edited, when he left for Iftari. He was taken to hospital but was later declared dead.

One of his guards was also killed in the attack and another is critically injured, police told journalists. No group has claimed the killings.

Shujaat Bukhari had just entered his vehicle outside his office in the city’s press enclave when assailants fired several shots from close range. “He (Bukhari) is no more. One of his two police bodyguards also died in the attack,” a top police officer told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Another police guard and the vehicle driver were critically wounded in the attack.

Fellow journalists were on the scene soon afterward. Bukhari was slumped over in the back seat, and one of the police bodyguards had a gruesome head wound.

Bukhari was a protected journalist, guarded by two armed police around the clock, in an area of India where political violence and threats to reporters is common.

His final tweet, sent just a few hours before his murder, was a link to his website’s reporting of the UN human rights chief calling for a major investigation into abuses committed by both India and Pakistan in Kashmir.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh described Bukhari’s murder as an “act of cowardice”. “It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist,” he added.

Witnesses said Bukhari died on the spot while the assailants fled immediately.

The attack comes one day before the end of a unilateral halt in military operations against the rebels for Ramazan. Rebel groups fighting for independence of Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan have rejected the brief “ceasefire”.

Bukhari described the threat to Kashmiri journalists in a 2016 article for BBC. “Threats to life, intimidation, assault, arrest and censorship have been part of the life of a typical local journalist,” he wrote.

The international media organisations including World Editors Forum (WEF) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) expressed deep regret over murder of Shujaat Bukhari and strongly condemned his killing.

WEF President David Callaway noted with regret that only two weeks ago Bukhari visited Lisbon for a media summit and now he is dead. Condemning the murder, Callaway urged the government of India to bring the killers to book.

CPJ deputy executive director Robert Mahoney said in a message, “The killing of Shujaat Bukhari is a profound loss to the journalism community and a blatant attack on freedom of the press.”

He added, “Journalists working in Jammu and Kashmir have long been subject to a range of threats. Authorities must turn this rising tide of risks by thoroughly investigating this murder and holding the perpetrators to account.”

The International Federation of Journalists had also highlighted the perils faced by scribes in the state, saying there was a “need of urgent intervention to protect press freedom and journalists”. Since 1990, there have been several attacks and journalists are walking on the razor’s edge, it noted.

Amnesty India described Bukhari as “a brave and outspoken voice for justice and equality in Jammu and Kashmir”.

“This is a grave attack on press freedom and democratic voices,” the Editors Guild of India added on Twitter.

Several media bodies, including Press Club of India, Indian Women’s Press Corps, Press Association and Federation of Press Clubs of India, Thursday expressed shock over the killing of senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari.
Indian journalist Shujaat Bukhari is shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. One of his bodyguards was also killed in the shooting.