Inhuman. Period.

A 45 year old woman who was critically injured in the grenade attack at the Sunday market in Srinagar on November 3 has succumbed to her injuries. Abida Kounsar, a resident of Naidkhai in Sumbal, was among the dozen people hit by splinter injuries. A mother of three school-going children, Kounser returned home as a lifeless body, leaving her family—especially her children—to bear the pain of her loss for the rest of their lives. A splinter of the detonated grenade had gone through her head causing her death.

Kounser’s death, widely mourned by all, is yet another reminder that terrorism is a curse. Deaths of innocent people in such attacks must be condemned in unequivocal terms. In past also we have seen how families were devastated in such grenade blasts in crowded places. The lives extinguished in these attacks have become statistics as have so many other killings since the early nineties. The ghost of terror needs to be chased with all might. That is the only way lives of innocent people can be saved. It is not the job of security agencies alone, but the civil formations should also come forward in this fight against terrorism, and build a narrative against it.

True, over the last few years, Kashmir experienced relative peace. Violence levels have drastically come down, so have the street unrests. Meanwhile, the terror related violence shifted to parts of Jammu. Successive attacks have since brought the once peaceful region to an edge. In contrast, the Valley seemed to have gradually transformed into a calm retreat.

However, in recent weeks, the situation has threatened to go back to square one. A series of high profile attacks began with a strike on October 20 on the construction site of the strategic Z-Morh tunnel connecting the Valley with Ladakh. Seven people lost their lives in the attack including a Budgam doctor who had just rejoined his duties after marrying off his daughter. This was followed by a strike at the famous tourist resort of Gulmarg where two security personnel and two porters were killed. Since then several more attacks have taken place, consuming innocent lives like that of Kounser. For how long would Kashmir witness this loss of human lives to the monster of terrorism!