Attacks on panchayat members trigger series of resignations

Militants sent a chilling reminder to the new Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) when they killed a sarpanch, affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in south Kashmir today.

Sajad Ahmad Khanday was shot at from a close range outside his residence at Vessu in Kulgam district this morning, leaving him critically wounded. He was shifted to hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, an official said.

Kanday was the BJP’s constituency president for Vessu.

Soon after the shooting, security forces cordoned off the area. However, the attackers managed to flee from the place.

Soft Targets

July 8: BJP leader Waseem Bari, his father and brother killed in Bandipore.

July 15: Militants kidnapped BJP leader Mehraj Din Mallah in north Kashmir. The police later rescued him.

August 4: Arif Ahmad, a panch, critically wounded in Kulgam.

A senior police official said the sarpanch was staying in a secured place along with several other sarpanches.

“He left the secured place this morning and went to his home at Vessu without informing the police. Terrorists fired at him while he was 20m from the house,” the police official said.

This is the second militant attack in less than 48 hours on a BJP panchayat member in Kulgam. On August 4 evening, Arif Ahmad, a panch, was critically wounded at Akhran Qazigund.

Meanwhile, the attacks have triggered a series of resignations of panchayat members. The latest attack took place despite “specific inputs” that panchayat members could be “targeted” around August 5. In view of the threats, a number of panchayat members were shifted to safe locations

Courtesy: Daily Tribune:  7th August, 2020