Srinagar, March 9 : A sarpanch was shot dead in Kashmir on Wednesday evening, Police said. The killing of Sarpanch took place hours after a person was killed and 13 were injured in a mysterious blast in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. They said a Sarpanch Sameer Ahmad Bhat was shot in Khonmoh area on Srinagar outskirts at around 6.50 pm. “Preliminary investigation has revealed that terrorists had barged into the house of a Sarpanch and fired indiscriminately upon him. In this terror incident, he had sustained critical gunshot injuries and was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries,” police said in a statement here. Soon after the incident, the area was cordoned off and search in the area was going on. Police has registered a case in this regard under relevant sections of law. “Investigation is in progress and officers continue to work to establish the circumstances, which lead to this terror crime,” it added. This is the second killing of any panchayat member in the last one week. On March 2, Panch Mohammad Yaqoob Dar was shot dead by dentified militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The killing triggered widespread condemnation from mainstream parties. The Peoples Democratic Party said the attacks highlighted the deteriorating security scenario in Kashmir. “Contrary to the tall claims of the administration, such recurring attacks highlight the deteriorating security scenario in Kashmir,” PDP said. The National Conference said, “This senseless bloodshed must come to an end.” The Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference said it “unreservedly condemns killing of Sarpanch Sameer Ahmed Bhat in a dastardly and despicable act of violence”. BJP said the militants were feeling frustrated by the grassroot democracy flourishing in Kashmir. “The militants involved in the act are enemies of humanity and peace, who by killing unarmed civilians, claim bravery but in fact, they are cowards, who feel frustrated by the grassroot democracy flourishing in Kashmir,” BJP JK spokesman Altaf Thakur. MJR RJ
