J&K panchayat body demands NIA probe into killing of ex-sarpanch

Jammu, May 19 (PTI) All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC) on Sunday condemned the killing of a former sarpanch by terrorists in Shopian and demanded an NIA probe into the incident.

Terrorists struck at two places in Kashmir on Saturday night, killing a former sarpanch in Shopian and injuring a tourist couple from Rajasthan in Anantnag, two days ahead of Lok Sabha elections in Baramulla.

Former sarpanch Aijaz Ahmad Sheikh, who was affiliated with the BJP, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

The AJKPC, a representative body of Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members, demanded suitable compensation for the family of the slain sarpanch.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should take cognisance of Sheikh’s murder and ensure that the culprits do not go scot-free and are neutralised at the earliest,” AJKPC president Anil Sharma said.

He accused the police of failing to provide adequate security to PRI members. “Over two dozen PRI members have sacrificed their lives for the sake of democracy and have become victims of the bullets of anti-national forces in the past five years,” he said.

Demanding adequate security to people facing threats to their lives, Sharma asked the administration to not discriminate against people on the basis of their social, political, or economic status. “The government must consider requests for security on the basis of threat perception,” he said.