Call it their desperation, cowardice or the effect of reading on the wall, a 35 year old Sarpanch was killed by militants in village Loka Bhawan in South Kashmir’s district of Anantnag. The Sarpanch was identified as Ajay Pandita, son of Omkar Nath of Dorru, affiliated with Indian National Congress and is reported to be from those very few families who, despite the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits in 1989-90 due to onset of terrorist violence , had decided to continue to stay back in Kashmir and not move out which further spills the beans in respect of the diabolical plans of the Pakistani sponsored and supported militants in Kashmir. The brutal killing of the Sarpanch has been widely condemned by political, social and cultural bodies.
Needless to add, the killing of the Sarpanch took place only a few hours after the security forces gunned down four terrorists including a “district commander” of Hizbul Mujahideen in an encounter in Pinjura in Shopian. Only a day before, as many as five terrorists were killed in an encounter in Reban Shopian which indicates that the security forces were committed to neutralise those elements who take to gun and indulge in violence and killing of innocent lives including undertaking attacks on security forces. This has not only downed the morale of the militants but even increasingly frustrated their promoters from across the border. Floating new outfits and spreading hate and terror, therefore, were their no new tactics but only revised under modified manner as dictated from their sponsors The successful Panchayati elections held in the year 2018, after a break of over seven years, to strengthen democracy and democratic process at the grass root levels in Jammu and Kashmir, despite stiff opposition and threats from various terror outfits and boycott by a few ‘mainstream’ political parties, has been taken as no less than a defeat and negation of their threats and waning ‘influence and support ‘ from among the masses, by the militants and their outfits.
However, for quite some time, Sarpanchs including the deceased Sarpanch had felt the urgent need of getting police security but it is hard to comprehend as to why the same was not provided . It must be the responsibility of the Government and its administration to provide reasonably adequate security to those vulnerable to threats to their lives . Past experience in the matter , perhaps, results in no indication or any guidance to the Government as to how such dastardly killings could be stopped. Better late than never, if the same was not done till now, it should be considered favourably in the right earnest to avoid any more loss of precious life especially those under lurking threat from the militants.
Returning of relative peace and works of development etc in the UT are treated as severe affronts by militants and their outfits as that puts at naught and reduces to ruse, their so called ‘freedom movement’. People have seen through their tricks as to how their leaders, benefactors and their sympathisers have made fortunes and amassed lot of wealth and property in the name of the so called “freedom movement” and how their own children were comfortable , studying in top institutions or serving across the country holding lucrative posts. Many such leaders were involved in number of economic offences and, therefore, facing trials. However, the Government must strain its every nerve to get the killers identified, arrested and severely punished.
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