SRINAGAR, Aug 28: A village head has been injured after suspected militants fired at him in Awantipora area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, police say.
Qutub-ud-Din Shah was at home when militants barged into his house on Monday night at Waenibata village, 30 kilometres from capital Srinagar and fired at him, they say.
The village head has been hit by bullets in his legs and has been shifted to a hospital for medical help. Doctors say his condition is stable.
Elected Sarpanchs and Panchs have been targetted many a time ever since elections for these grassroots representatives were held last year. The authorities considere the polls an historic event and many saw it as a ‘separatists shown door’ trend in Kashmir where tens of thousands have died in conflict involving militants and security forces.
Althought calls by separatists to boycott elections had always had an impact in this region, yet with violence waning, the polls recorded more than 60 percent participation by people.
Over recent months many such village heads have resigned after posters claiming to have been issued by militant groups threatened them of “dire consequences” if they did not resign from their posts.
However, last month, an organisation of these Sarpanchs and Panchs at a meeting blamed the authorities for “orchestrating attacks” on them.
“We were attacked by the government and not militants. They failed to empower us on all fronts. Moreover we were also considered a threat by many in the administration also, even the government tacitly admits it,” said a Sarpanch of a village in Kashmir’s central Budgam district.
