Bukhari, 50, was leaving for home on Thursday, when three motorcycle-borne assailants opened a salvo on him, killing him and two security guards.
Kashmiris woke up to blank editorials in most leading dailies of the Valley on Tuesday, as publications took a unanimous decision to protest the brutal killing of Rising Kashmir editor Shujaat Bukhari.
This was the first time in decades that both Urdu and English dailies refrained from publishing editorials, leaving blank spaces in those slots.
Inititaly, some readers thought the blank space was a mistake, only to realise shortly that every other newspaper also had similar empty slots.
Thousands of people thronged to Kreeri village in north Kashmir on Monday to pay their last respects to the slain editor. Bukhari, 50, was leaving for home on Thursday, when three motorcycle-borne assailants opened a salvo on him, killing him and two security guards.
To protest the incident, the Kashmir Editors' Guild held a meeting on Monday where the decision to not publish editorials was taken.
"During the meeting on Monday, there were even proposals of suspending publication for a day. But, since the editorial is the heart of a newspaper, we decided to suspend it for a day instead," said Shifat Kira, spokesperson, Kashmir Editors' Guild.
Even editors who are not part of the guild participated in the protest. Raja Mohideen, editor, Tameel Irshad, who, though not a part of the guild, said, "Shujaat's murder is a murder of humanity and of a great friend. It's an attack on freedom. We decided not to publish an editorial today to protest Shujaat's killing, in order to tell the assassins that we are all mourning the murder of our colleague and friend. He death is a setback to our community."
Two major global bodies of editors and publishers have also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, conveying their "grave concern" over Bukhari's assassination while seeking investigations into the case.
JUST BEFORE EID
- Thousands thronged to Kreeri village on Monday to pay their last respects to slain editor Shujaat Bukhari. He was leaving for home on Thursday, when three motorcycle-borne assailants opened a salvo on him.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Newspapers")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}