Bank manager killed in Kashmir cremated in Raj village

The body of Vijay Beniwal, a resident of Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district who was killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir, was cremated in his native village Bhagwan on Friday.

The body reached the village from Kashmir on Friday morning.

Beniwal's last rites took place in the village's cremation ground and was attended by hundreds of people.

Around 7 a.m., Beniwal's wife reached Bhagwan village with her husband's body. Seeing the dead body of the son, the father fell unconscious. The last rites were performed shortly afterwards. Vijay had promised to come to the village in July. After marriage, he had not returned to the village. He wanted to change his cadre and also took a test for it.

Bank manager Beniwal was married only about three months back and had taken his wife along with him to Kashmir.

Beniwal's father said, "My son was preparing for the examination so that he could get the job of branch manager elsewhere. We wanted him to come back to Rajasthan."

Officials said that after being shot, he was taken to the hospital, but could not be saved.

CCTV footage of the attack showed a terrorist entering the bank and firing at Vijay Beniwal.

Beniwal was posted as manager in Ellaquai Dehati Bank (EDB) located at Areh Mohanpora in Kulgam district.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday strongly criticised the brutal killing and urged the Central government to ensure security of residents of Kashmir.

"The killing of Vijay Kumar, a resident of Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, working in Kulgam, Jammu and Kashmir, by terrorists is highly condemnable. I pray to God to give peace to his soul and courage to his family," he said in his tweet.

Taking the Central government on his radar, Gehlot said, "The NDA government has failed to restore peace in Kashmir. The central government should ensure the safety of citizens in Kashmir. Such killing of our citizens by terrorists will not be tolerated," he added.