A senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader of Jammu and Kashmir and his brother were shot dead by suspected militants in Kishtwar district Thursday night, officials said.
State secretary of BJP Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet were returning from their shop in Kishtwar when they were fired upon from close range at a dark, narrow lane leading to their house, the officials said.
The assailants were apparently waiting for the brothers to return home and used pistols to target them, they said.
They were rushed to a hospital where doctors declared them brought dead, they said.
Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) Sanjeev Verma said that police are investigating the matter.
BJP state general secretary Ashok Kaul condemned the attack. This is the first attack on any political leader in the Jammu region in past several years.
