Local BJP leader kidnapped in Kashmir's Baramulla

Days after a BJP leader and his two family members were shot dead by militants, a saffron party worker was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified ultras in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Wednesday.

Mehraj Din Mallah, who was allegedly kidnapped in Watergam, Baramulla on Wednesday morning, is the vice-president of the municipal committee (MC) in Watergam.

BJP J&K spokesperson Altaf Thakur said Malla was walking on a road when the kidnappers bundled him in the vehicle and took him away. “The kidnappers threw away his mobile phone. Malla might be kidnapped by militants. Why should someone kidnap him other than militants,” he said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Police said it has launched a manhunt to trace Malla, who is son of senior BJP leader Ghulam Muhammad who had joined the party in 2012 and since then his son was also part of the BJP.

The incident comes a week after BJP leader Sheikh Waseem Bari, his brother and father were shot dead by militants in northern Bandipora district. The killings triggered panic and a sense of fear among the BJP leaders in Kashmir.