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| In fortified Qazigund, Militants shot dead BJP Sarpanch | | Sofi Yousf demands security for PRI members | |  Saahil Suhail
Early Times Report
Srinagar, Aug 6: Militants on Thursday morning shot dead a Sarpanch, affiliated with Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), at Vessu village in south Kashmir’s Qazigund area.
According to reports, militants fired upon the Sarpanch identified as Sajad Ahmad Khanday from close range near his residence at Vessu, a few meters away from Jammu Srinagar National Highway.
The 45 year old Khanday, they said, was immediately shifted to Government Medical College Anantnag where he was declared dead on arrival.
Medical Superintendent GMC Dr Mohd Iqbal confirmed that the slain BJP member and Sarpanch was ‘brought dead’ to the hospital.
Slain Sarpanch and his colleagues mostly affiliated with BJP were shifted to Vessu Migrant Colony a few days ago after militants intensified attacks on PRI representatives in Anantnag and Kulgam, however early this morning slain Sarpanch moved to home along with his five colleagues.
“From last few days we are putting up here at Migrant Colony but this morning at around 7:30 am we decided to go home and left the colony,” Khanday’s friend, who is himself a sarpanch, told Early Times.
Amid sobs, slain sarpanch was laid to rest at his native village. Besides BJP leaders, hundreds of people attened his Nimaz-e-Jinazh and paid him rich tributes.
BJP Vice-President Sofi Yousf, who attended the last rites of slain sapranch, condemned the killing and said that such inhuman killings weren’t going to weaken the morale of party leaders and workers. “sacrifices will not go in vain,” he said, while demanding adequate security for elected representatives and party members.
This was the second attack of its kind in less than 48 hours as a BJP Panch Arif Ahmad was critically wounded after militants fired upon him at Akhran Qazigund on the evening of August 4. The area where these incidents occurred has a high presence of security forces.
Meanwhile, Killings have triggered a wave of resignations in South Kashmir and Panchayat representatives mostly affiliated with BJP have started putting their resignations on social media.
According to reports, four BJP members from Kulgam have resigned from party today which includes BJP’s District Secretary for Kulgam Nisar Ahmed Mir, a resident of Kellem, District General Secretary Shahzad Ahmad Bhat of Chowgam, party workers Mohammad Ayoub Ganai, a resident of Banghal Kulgam and Gul Mohammad Ganai, a native of Chandien Kulgam.
Earlier, three BJP members from the same district had resigned on Wednesday while three others tendered their resignation today after the killing of a BJP Sarpanch in the Vessu Qazigund area of Kulgam district.
Another independent Sarpanch Mohammed Iqbal Dar of Chandien Kulgam has also resigned from the post of Sarpanch as according to him it didn’t fetch him anything being a Sarpanch since more than a year now and he is more concerned about the safety of his family.
While the militants had called people to stay away from the election in 2018, a large number of elected panches and sarpanches had been accommodated by the government in fortified hotels in Srinagar.
The development at the grass root level had taken a hit as the elected representatives stayed away from their native villages.
Recently, the government announced an insurance cover of Rs 25 lakhs for the elected representatives of the PRI and ULBs.
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