The police have registered a case and constituted a special investigation team to probe the killing of Qadri
Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Unknown gunmen shot dead TV panelist and lawyer Babar Qadri at his home in Hawal area of Srinagar on Thursday.
The police and family told the media that gunmen fired upon Qadri from a point-blank range, killing him on the spot.
He was rushed to hospital but doctors said he was brought dead. The incident happened at around 6 pm. Kashmir Life, a Srinagar-based weekly, quoted a friend of Qadri saying: “He was on the staircase and the two persons were in his courtyard. One of them opened fire on him and he tried to get in and then the second bullet was fired.” He collapsed on the spot.
The police have registered a case and constituted a special investigation team to probe the killing of Qadri. Soon, as word spread about his death, reactions started pouring in.
Social media users and his friends mourned and condemned the killing. Journalist Anuradha Bhasin said she was shocked and saddened by the killing of Qadri who she knew since his university days. “Many of our discussions ended in disagreements but there was a level of respect. He was warm and affectionate, always. He didn’t deserve to die. He didn’t deserve to be shot dead! Shocked and deeply saddened by your death #babarqadri “
Kashmir lost another innocent live.
Babar Qadri a lawyer by profession#kashmirbleeds#kashmirilivesmatter pic.twitter.com/gQwajnkriV— Mir Suhail (@mirsuhail) September 24, 2020
Qadri frequently appeared on Kashmir-related debates on TV news channels and he was a vocal critic of the army and the police. He would also criticise the policy of the Hurriyat and political parties. He also raised questions on the affairs of the Kashmir High Court Bar Association and his association membership was under suspension.
On Monday, Qadri wrote a tweet urging the police to file an FIR against a certain Shah Nazir who he alleged “spread wrong campaign that I work for agencies”. He said this was not true and posed a threat to his life.
I urge the state Police administration to register FIR against this Shah Nazir who has spread wrong campaign that I work for agencies. This un true statement can lead to threat to my life.@ZPHQJammu pic.twitter.com/utkurYpRzk
— Babar Qadri Truth (@BabarTruth) September 21, 2020
Hours before his death, Qadri held a Facebook Live where he talked about his issues with the Bar Association.
In July 2018, Qadri had lodged a police complaint that some unknown men came to his residence looking for him but found his brother there and left.
He started practising law in 2008 after graduating from Kashmir University. Originally a resident of a village near Tangmarg in Baramulla district, his parents had moved to Srinagar in the early 1990s. He was married to the daughter of Gh Qadir Wani, a Kashmiri scholar who was assassinated in 1998.
Qadri was laid to rest in his ancestral village. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. Visuals shared on social media showed scores of people attending his funeral.
The assassination of Babar Qadri this evening is tragic & I unequivocally condemn it. The sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. Sadly his warning was his last tweet. @BabarTruth
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) September 24, 2020
Political parties also condemned his killing. The Congress urged the authorities to trace his killers. Former CM and National Conference Omar Abdullah said that “The sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. Sadly, his warning was his last tweet.”
People Conference Sajad Lone said Qadri was a victim of conflict. Mehbooba Mufti’s daughter wrote a tweet on her mother’s account: “As Kashmiris, we write condolence messages day after day. Party workers, journalists, lawyers – innocent people who are killed for no reason.”