Srinagar, Oct 19 (IANS): Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday condemned the killing of a non-local by terrorists in Shopian district.

Omar said on his X on Friday, “Very sorry to hear about the death of Ashok Chouhan at the hands of militants in South Kashmir. These attacks are abhorrent & must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. I send my condolences to the family & loved ones of the deceased."

On Friday, police recovered the bullet-riddled dead body of a Bihar resident identified as Ashok Chouhan in Wanduna village of Zainpora area in Shopian district.

“The body was sent for completion of medico-legal formalities. A case has been registered in this incident and an investigation is underway,” police said.

Police has confirmed that this was an act of terrorism. A manhunt has been launched to trace the assassins of the non-local civilian.

The terrorist attack on a non-local has come two days after an elected government headed by Omar Abdullah took office in J&K. The Assembly election, which took place in J&K after 10 years, was largely people participative with an average of 68 per cent voters exercising their franchise to show faith in the country’s democracy and its institutions.

Non-local skilled and semi-skilled labourers including masons, carpenters, paddy harvesters and others engaged in different labour-intensive occupations have been attacked by the terrorists in Kashmir Valley in the past.

On April 8, this year, terrorists barged into an eatery in Shopian district and fired at a non-local taxi driver from Punjab, Paramjit Singh, who was accompanying foreign tourists. The guide sustained three bullet injuries.

Earlier in February this year, two non-locals from Punjab were shot dead by terrorists in old city of Srinagar. A week later, Jammu and Kashmir police said that the terrorists, who killed the two non-locals, were arrested in Srinagar and the weapon used in the attack was recovered.