Sarpanch shot dead by militants in Kashmir

An independent sarpanch was shot ded by unidentified militants in Pattan area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Friday evening.

“#Terrorists fired upon & #killed one Manzoor Ahmad Bangroo (an Independent #Sarpanch) at Goshbugh area of Pattan, #Baramulla. Area has been cordoned off & search to track the involved #terrorists is in progress. Further details shall follow,” Kashmir Zone Police tweeted.

Following the attack, the area was cordoned off and a search operation was launched by the security personnel, reports said.

There has been a spurt on attacks on civilians by the militants in Kashmir in recent weeks. A dozen civilians, including members of minority community, migrant labourers and political workers, have been killed in militant attacks this year in Kashmir, while over a dozen have been injured.

Also read: Rajput community mulls migration from Kashmir after killing of member

In March, three sarpanchs were shot dead by militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam and Srinagar districts. The panchayat members in Kashmir have been receiving militant threats for years and a good number of them have been provided with secure accommodation in Srinagar and other district headquarters by the government.

Some of them have even been provided personal security officers (PSOs) but 90 per cent are without any security. Police say that these sarpanchs provided with secure accommodation in Srinagar and other district headquarters leave without informing them due to which they become targets of militants.

Evers since the panchayat elections were held for the first time in 2011 after a gap of nearly three decades, a few dozen panchayat members have been killed by the militants. However, the targets on sarpanchs intensified after 2018 panchayat polls.

A police officer told DH that the militants were looking for soft targets to make news. “As relentless operations by security forces have pushed terrorists on back foot, they are now resorting to civilian killings to spread fear. In coming months, there is a possibility of a rise in such attacks,” he warned.

Check out DH's latest videos: