SRINAGAR, Nov 15: One person has died and four others wounded after an unidentified gunman fired at a liquor shop in Srinagar, capital of Muslim-majority Kashmir region where a 23-year-old violence is slowly giving way to peace.
The incident took place at Hotel Heemal on the banks of Dal Lake which is peopled by tourists.
Mushtaq Ahmed, a resident of Aloochi Bagh, who worked at the alcohol shop died on the spot, a police official said.
Police say they are investigating into the incident.
‘Rising sales’
Liquor shops have rarely been attacked in Kashmir since 2004 when the Mufti Sayeed government re-opened a few liquor shops in Srinagar and other major towns of the valley, fifteen years after militants had ordered them to close down.
Separatist violence had showed a steady decline and militants’ hold over daily life had eased.
Also Read: Kashmir takes to alcohol as insurgency declines
In 2005, members of the Dukhtaran-e-Millat or the Daughters of Faith tried to set fire to a shop selling wines and beer. They were sent to jail.
But officials say liquor sales have skyrocketed to nearly 500 lakh (50 million) bottles annually, which , they privately admit, is a sign that peace and normalcy is returning to Kashmir.
Also Read: Kashmir govt rejects calls for a dry state
