Thousands attend Shujaat Bukhari's funeral; A storm of condemnation of the murder

According to reports, an ocean of people has poured in the ground adjacent to Haji Murad Bukhari RA's Shrine where Bukhari's  Janaza would be performed. 

Several important individuals including top politicians, bureaucrats, officials of police and civil administration are among the crowd present at the slain journalist's ancestral village.

The 52-year-old Editor-in-Chief of "Rising Kashmir" was killed by three terrorists on a bike. The assailants-their faces covered- were caught on  CCTV camera carrying weapons in a sack.

  Bukhari was leaving his office in Srinagar's Press Enclave when he was shot at from close range. His two security officers- Hamid Chaudhary and Mumtaz Awan- were also killed in the attack.

This was the third assassination attempt on  Bukhari, a journalist, respected for his balanced, independent and fearless views.

He is survived by two children, both in school, and wife and aged parents. His father was a school teacher.

As the incident sent a shockwave across the nation, triggering an outrage and protests,  Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh condemned the killing, describing it as an "act of cowardice".

Expressing shock at the journalist's death, the home minister tweeted, "The killing of @RisingKashmir editor, Shujaat Bukhari is an act of cowardice. It is an attempt to silence the saner voices of Kashmir. He was a courageous and fearless journalist."

"Extremely shocked & pained at his death. My thoughts and prayers are with his bereaved family," he said on Twitter.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, "The killing of renowned journalist Shujaat Bukhari Sahab & brave soldier Aurangzeb in the Holy month of Ramadan has once again proved that coward terrorists are the enemy of not only humanity but also the “Islam”

US ambassador to India Kenneth Juster said that the US Mission in India strongly condemns the killing of Shujaat Bukhari, and his security officers. "We offer our sincere condolences to their family, friends, and colleagues," he tweeted. 

Pakistan has also condemned the killing of Bukhari.

" We have learned with deep shock and sadness about the assassination of noted Kashmiri journalist Shujaat Bukhari by unknown gunmen outside his office in Srinagar around Iftar time today. He was known for carrying out his professional responsibilities with courage and conviction. There can be no justification for anyone to commit such brutality, which cannot be condemned enough," Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

' As we pray for Shujaat Bukhari's soul to rest in eternal peace, our profound thoughts and prayers are with his family at this difficult time. May the Almighty Allah grant them the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss. Ameen!," the statement further said.

Former Jammu and Kashmir finance minister and senior PDP leader Haseeb Drabu tweeted: "Devastated and numbed by the news about Shujaat Bukhari. This is beyond insanity.”

Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, CPI (M) leader and MLA from Kulgam told at the funeral it was a cowardly act aimed at muzzling the voice of press in the state.

The Foreign Correspondents'  Club of South Asia (FCC), New Delhi, also condemned the killing, saying  "We demand an immediate probe into this dastardly crime, and appeal to the authorities to find the guilty and punish them."

"The Kashmir Press Club (KPC)/Aiwan-e-Sahafat has strongly condemned the gruesome killing: "The club is pained at the loss of its senior member and considers the killing as an assault on the entire media fraternity in Kashmir. Unfortunately, journalists in Kashmir have been prone to assaults from all sides of the conflict and the brazen attack on Shujaat inside the Press Enclave again brings to fore the risks under which media work in Kashmir. Such attacks on media fraternity are entirely unacceptable and KPC would like to reiterate that such acts would never cow down the resilience of the Kashmir media."

English newspaper 'Rising Kashmir' published its daily edition on Friday even after losing its editor-in-chief Shujaat Bukhari in an assassination which also left two of his two personal security officers (PSOs) dead.