Srinagar, June 15: The Jammu and Kashmir Police have released images from CCTV visuals of three men on a motorcycle suspected to have killed veteran journalist and 'Rising Kashmir' Editor Shujaat Bukhari. Bukhari was shot dead by three men on a motorcycle around 7:30 pm last evening outside his office in Srinagar. The three men as shown in the images released by the police have their faces covered and are on a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle. The Kashmir Police have asked the public to identify the three and inform the cops if they find them.

Reports say one of the three men seen in the CCTV footage resembles a Lashkar-e-Toiba terrorist who escaped police in February this year. While there is no confirmation on this yet, the police are trying to identify if he indeed is the LeT terrorist.

The family and friends of the Rising Kashmir editor are in mourning. Bukhari role has been instrumental in organising several conferences for peace in the Kashmir Valley. He was also part of the Track II process with Pakistan.

An anguished Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti broke down while denouncing the "mindless" killing of veteran journalist Bukhari.  Mufti expressed shocked and said she was deeply saddened by the sudden demise of Shujaat Bukhari. "This is really shocking. He came to meet me a few days back. This is upsetting", she said.

Mufti further added saying that the scourge of terror has reared its ugly head on the eve of Eid. "Strongly condemn this act of mindless violence & pray for his soul to rest in peace. Deepest condolences to his family", Mufti added.

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Omar Abdullah, tweeted his last message to him and expressed deep shock over his untimely death. "My last DM exchange with Shujaat Bukhari. I can’t believe the mulaqat we were going to fix will never take place now. Life is just too uncertain & often too unkind", he tweeted.

According to reports, Bukhari, who was in his 50s, was shot by 3-4 armed men while he was leaving his office in Press Enclave in the city centre Lal Chowk for an iftar party. While one of the personal security officers (PSO) guarding him was killed, another policeman and a civilian were injured, they added. The condition of the two injured in the shooting, which comes a day ahead of Eid, is critical, they said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 15, 2018 09:43 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).