Kashmiri lawyer Babar Qadri, who was shot dead on Thursday, was killed by terrorists who posed as clients, the Jammu and Kashmir police said on Friday. Qadri, who was vocal on TV debates and on opinion pages of the local newspapers, was shot outside his home.

“Two terrorists posing as clients visited Baber Qadri yesterday seeking legal advice. During the meeting, he was shot 4 times in the head and died on the way to the hospital. We have formed an SIT to look into the matter,” said Vijay Kumar, IG, J&K, reports ANI.

Qadri, in his early 40s, was rushed to the SKIMS hospital, where doctors declared him ‘dead on arrival’, according to an official.

Three days ago, he had tweeted a screenshot, urging the police in Jammu to register an FIR against a Facebook user for spreading “wrong campaign” against him. “I urge the state Police administration to register FIR against this Shah Nazir who has spread the wrong campaign that I work for agencies. This untrue statement can lead to threat to my life,” Qadri had written in his last tweet.

Qadri’s killing comes a day after Bhupinder Singh, a member of the block development council in Khag area of Budgam district, was shot dead by militants at his ancestral Dalwash village on Wednesday night.

“The assassination of Babar Qadri this evening is tragic & I unequivocally condemn it,” NC vice president Omar Abdullah tweeted. “The sense of tragedy is all the more because he warned of the threat. Sadly his warning was his last tweet.” In a statement, the party demanded that the killers of the young advocate be brought to book and “justice delivered in the murder case immediately”.

“JKNC unequivocally condemns the dastardly killing of young activist Adv Babar Qadri,” it said. “The party expresses heartfelt condolences with the bereaved family.” In a tweet, the PDP “vehemently” condemned Qadri’s killing, saying “mournings are a constant feature in every Kashmiris life”.

Peoples Conference leader Sajad Lone said Qadri was yet another victim of conflict. “One more Kashmiri falls to bullets,” he tweeted. “My thoughts with the family.”