Grieving mother recounts horror of Magray’s killing

Srinagar, Apr 27: A pall of gloom descended over the Kandi Khass area in north Kashmir after Ghulam Rasool Magray (43), a local resident, succumbed to injuries sustained in a late-night attack by unidentified gunmen.
The tragic incident occurred when unidentified gunmen barged into his house, claiming they needed to conduct a search, and later shot him near the gate of his residence.
According to the grieving mother of the deceased, some men came during the late hours of the night, saying they were conducting a search. “They grabbed him, and when they reached the gate, they shot him,” she said tearfully. “My son was innocent and had nothing to do with anyone. He was my everything. I have lost him in seconds.”
Eyewitnesses, including Magray’s mother, recounted that the attackers initially spoke in Kashmiri and then switched to Urdu before dragging him away. Locals rushed Magray to GMC Handwara, where he received first aid. He was later referred to a hospital in Srinagar, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
A local who worked closely with Magray described him as a simple, kind-hearted man. “We are in shock. He had no enemies. Why was he killed?” he questioned.
Following the incident, security forces launched a manhunt to trace the attackers, but they remain at large.
The killing has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters.
On Sunday morning, MLA Langate Sheikh Khurshid visited the victim’s home and expressed strong concern over the administration’s inaction. “No one from the administration even came here. During the Pahalgam attack, everyone was expressing shock. But for this poor man, not a soul showed up,” he said.
The MLA also raised slogans demanding an end to the bloodshed and innocent killings in the Kashmir Valley. The incident comes just days after the tragic terrorist attack in the Baisaran area of Pahalgam, which claimed the lives of several tourists, sending shockwaves across the region.
Locals are now demanding a thorough investigation and justice for Ghulam Rasool Magray, whose only fault, they say, was being an innocent civilian in the area.