A body of elected village representatives in Kashmir has sought intervention of the international human rights organisations after another panchayat member was shot dead by unknown gunmen in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district. The village representatives complain that the State and Central Governments have failed to provide them requisite protection.
A sarpanch belonging to ruling National Conference was shot dead by unknown gunmen at Kolpora village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district late on Monday evening. Police said that assailants barged into the house of sarpanch Ghulam Muhammad lone at 8.30 pm and sprayed bullets on him. One bullet hit his head and despite his family members’ effort to escort him to hospital, he could not survive. The doctors declared him brought dead.
This is the sixth killing of a village representative in Kashmir since April 2011 when the panchayat elections were held in Jammu & Kashmir after a gap of around three decades. More than 33,000 panches and sarpanches, including 33 per cent female members, were elected in the State on non-party basis. However, majority of the elected representatives aligned with political parties after the election.
Even as the Government describes the panchayat elections as historic and path breaking, the panchayat members, especially belonging to Kashmir valley, encountered a plethora of problems. Soon after the elections, militant outfits Hizbul Mujahideen and lashkar-e-Tayyeba issued threats to them and asked them to put in their papers.
The threats became serious when gunman actually targeted panchayat members triggering panic among them.
Several panchayat members submitted their resignations while the others announced their resignations through newspapers adverts or announcements in mosques.
The Government says they cannot provide security to every panchayat member but some of them were provided security cover after assessment of the threat perception.