The murder of Shujaat Bukhari, the editor of Rising Kahsmir, and his PSOs on the eve of Eid in Kashmir has left many shocked and heavy-hearted. Unidentified gunmen shot him and the two officials as he was leaving his office in Srinagar’s Press Enclave. Another security guard was critically injured in the attack. Other journalists, politicians, friends and well-wishers of Bukhari thereafter took to Twitter to pay their respects to him as well as condemn the act. Several, including Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, labelled his murder as an attack on the freedom of press, others called it the “insanity of violence”.

ALSO READ | Senior Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari shot dead, PSO also killed in attack on eve of Eid

“Shujaat Bukhari yet another victim of the insanity of violence. When will sanity return to our Kashmir . Let a dialogue at least start before there is no space left for it. Meanwhile we condemn this unforgivable act of violence.” wrote Kapil Sibal, “Shocked & deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shujaat Bukhari. The scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. I strongly condemn this act of mindless violence & pray for his soul to rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family.” tweeted Mehbooba Mufti, after the news of Bukhari’s death spread.

ALSO READ | Who was Shujaat Bukhari?

Here is how politicians and other journalists are mourning Bukhari.

inna lilahi wa inna illahi rajiuun. Shocked beyond words. May Shujaat find place in Jannat & May his loved ones find strength at this difficult time.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 14, 2018

My last DM exchange with #ShujaatBukhari. I can’t believe the mulaqat we were going to fix will never take place now. Life is just too uncertain & often too unkind. pic.twitter.com/8yED2iZKzl

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) June 14, 2018

Shujaat Bukhari yet another victim of the insanity of violence. When will sanity return to our Kashmir . Let a dialogue at least start before there is no space left for it .
Meanwhile we condemn this unforgivable act of violence .

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) June 14, 2018

Shujaat Bukhari and I were colleagues at The Hindu. He was a formidable reporter, and, as editor of Rising Kashmir, a powerful voice for the embattled media fraternity, a true voice of sanity and reason. No words of condemnation are enough for the scum who have assassinated him.

— Siddharth (@svaradarajan) June 14, 2018

The Editors Guild of India unequivocally condemns the assassination of Rising Kashmir Editor Shujaat Bukhari. This is a grave attack on press freedom and democratic voices. We will be issuing a more detailed statement soon

— Editors Guild of India (@IndEditorsGuild) June 14, 2018

Shocked & deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shujaat Bukhari. The scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. I strongly condemn this act of mindless violence & pray for his soul to rest in peace. My deepest condolences to his family.

— Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) June 14, 2018

I’m anguished to hear about the killing of Shujaat Bukhari, editor of @RisingKashmir. He was a brave heart who fought fearlessly for justice and peace in Jammu & Kashmir. My condolences to his family. He will be missed.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 14, 2018

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.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 14, 2018

Heard the terrible news about senior journalist Shujaat Bukhari. Enemies of humanity have silenced a voice of sanity in Kashmir. May God give courage to his family in this hour of grief

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 14, 2018

Shujaat Bukhari was a voice of reason in Kashmir. Brilliant journalist who pandered to no extremes. He did his job honorably till his last breath & paid the price of being upright. Objectively reported human rights violations at the hands of Indian forces & extremists in Kashmir.

— Marvi Sirmed मार्वि ماروی (@marvisirmed) June 14, 2018

Shujaat Bukhari (1968-2018), bio
Born February 25, 1968
Worked for Kashmir Times.
Worked for The Hindu as its insightful Kashmir correspondent between September 1, 1997 and March 31, 2012.
Editor-in-Chief of Rising Kashmir between 2012 and his assassination on June 14, 2018,

— N. Ram (@nramind) June 15, 2018

My friend @bukharishujaat was a rare voice of moderation in Kashmir who pandered to no extremes. May those who did this to him rot in hell. And may this be a moment for Kashmir to take note of the absolute insanity it is slipping into #ShujaatBukhari

— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) June 14, 2018

Shujaat Bukhari, one of the very few sane voices on the issue of Kashmir has been assassinated. This is the time to reflect on the seeds of hatred being sown and realise the value of those who put their lives at risk to keep the truth alive. My deepest condolences.

— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) June 14, 2018

Assassination of #ShujaatBukhari is a brutal attack on freedom of press. A cowardly and deplorable act of terror. Our fearless media is one of the greatest strength of our democracy and we are committed to provide a safe and conducive working environment to media persons.

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) June 14, 2018

Unbelievable! Kashmiri editor Shujaat Bukhari has been killed. What madness. A terrible loss. https://t.co/HfHh8SAWA0

— Basharat Peer (@BasharatPeer) June 14, 2018

The 51-year-old is survived by his wife Tahmeena, daughter Duriya and son Tahmeed. He is the brother of Basharat Bukhari, a senior PDP leader and the Minister for Horticulture, Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs in the Mehbooba Mufti-led government.