Srinagar  : Head Constable Ghulam Mohammad Dar, who was shot dead on Tuesday evening by militants outside his home, was the sole bread-earner for the eight-member family consisting of seven daughters and wife.

Police said terrorists fired upon Head Constable Dar, a resident of Wailoo Kralpora in Baramulla, outside his residence. He was critically wounded and shifted to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Bhat was posted in Srinagar and was home the entire day on Tuesday as there was some construction work going on at his residence.

“In the evening, our father went to drop the plumber, and when he returned, he was shot at the gate of residence,” lamented one of the daughters of Bhat while tears rolled down. “ We are devastated … Except for our father, we have no male members in the family. And he too was killed….”

A pall of gloom has descended on the native village of Bhat.

“ Just imagine the tragedy that seven daughters have got orphans now and the difficulties the family will face,” said a local resident over the phone.

On late Tuesday, a wreath-laying ceremony was held at the District Police Lines Baramulla to pay homage to the Head Constable. Civil and police officers, including Deputy Inspector General of North Kashmir Vivek Gupta, Senior Superintendent of Police, Baramulla, Amod Ashok Nagpure; police, CRPF, and civil officials, participated in the ceremony and laid floral wreaths on the mortal remains.

There has been widespread condemnation over the killing of the head constable.

There have been three targeted attacks in Kashmir in the last three days. A labourer, Mukesh Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, was shot dead by militants in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Monday. On Sunday, police inspector Masroor Ahmad was critically wounded after a militant shot at him in Srinagar’s Eidgah locality while he was playing cricket.

The targeted attacks are taking place at a time when J&K police and the government have claimed that militancy is on its last legs.