Terrorists attack Srinagar's famous Krishna Dhaba; shoot & injure owner's 22-year-old son

In a shocking incidence of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar, 22-year-old Akash Mehra, who is the son of the owner of a popular eatery named Krishna Dhaba, was shot by terrorists from close range on Wednesday evening. As per the latest info, Akash Mehra was critically wounded in the attack and was immediately rushed to SMHS Hospital, where his condition was stated to be "stable" by the doctors. 

Srinagar: Terrorists shoot popular eatery's owner's son

The local police officials have informed that despite being in a stable condition, the 22-year-old is being monitored by the doctors. According to sources, a banned terror outfit called "Muslim Janbas Force" has claimed responsibility for the attack. This terrorist attack has drawn strong condemnation from the political leaders including Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah though neither has attributed it to terrorism. 

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The Srinagar Police is currently looking at the CCTV footage of the incident after some eyewitnesses claimed that the terrorists after shooting the 22-year-old had run away. This attack comes on a day when a group of envoys including from several European Union countries and a few Organisation of Islamic Countries' member states began a two-day visit to J&K to get a first-hand account of the current situation in the Union Territory after the recently concluded local body DDC elections.

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Krishna Dhaba is located near Hotel Lalit, where over 20 foreign envoys were staying overnight for a 2-day trip to J&K. The eatery, which is famous for serving vegetarian food, is located in Durganag area of the city. Several high-profile installations like the office of UN Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) and the residence of the Jammu and Kashmir chief justice are located within 200m of this Dhaba. 

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It is important to note here that this is the second attack on non-Kashmiri residents in the city after the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier in January, a jeweller named Satpal, who was settled in Kashmir for the last five decades, was shot dead by the terrorists. The Resistance Front, a shadow outfit of Lashkar-e-Taiba terror group, had claimed responsibility for the attack.

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(With PTI inputs)