Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 23: Militants tonight shot dead Naib Sarpanch who was a National Conference (NC) worker in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district, two weeks after they shot dead a Sarpanch in the same district.
A major operation was launched by Baramulla police and 29-RR of Army to nab the militants responsible for the attack.
Police said that Naib Sarpach of Nowpora village in district Baramulla, Mohmmad Shafi Teli, 37, son of Habibullah Teli of village Nowpora Jageer was shot dead at around 8:30 p.m. outside his house today. He was fired 4 times in his head by the militants who escaped after carrying out the attack leaving him in a pool of blood.
Teli was removed to nearby Sub-District hospital Sopore where doctors declared him brought dead. He is survived by wife and two children.
Senior Police and Army officials reached the spot and a major operation was launched in the area against the militants who killed Teli. All routes leading to the village have been sealed off and security forces are also conducting searches of the vehicles on the National Highway to stop the militants from fleeing the area.
This is the second killing of Panchayat members in last two weeks in the area. On September 10, militants shot dead Sarpanch of Palhalan village Ghulam Mohammad Yatoo in Baramulla district.
Police claimed to have arrested a leader of hardline Hurriyat Conference Nasir Ahmad Ganie alias Nasir Molvi son of Ghulam Mohammad Ganie of Raipora Palhallan, Pattan for hatching conspiracy to kill Yatoo.
After Yatoo’s killing over two dozen Panchs and Sarpanchs in Palhalan and its adjoining areas fearing for their lives resigned.
Over 400 Panchs and Sarpanchs resigned in Kashmir valley following militant attacks on them since last year. Over two dozen Panchs and Sarpanchs were targeted by militants since last year’s Panchyat elections, out of whom near a dozen died while others were grievously injured.
Militants had earlier warned the Panchs and Sarpanchs to resign or face the consequences in South Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian and parts of Baramulla district in North Kashmir.
Only yesterday, police busted a Hizbul Mujahideen module that was targeting Panchs and Sarpanchs in Tral area of South Kashmir district of Pulwama by arresting its three members.
Tonight’s killing of Naib Sarpanch is the fourth major strike by militants in district Baramulla during past one month. Earlier this month, a Special Police Officer was killed and an Army man injured in village Brath Kalan in district Baramulla by militants. Heavily armed group of around 16 militants with majority of them foreigners’ targeted Rs 50 crore Flood Works and Conservation of Wullar lake project in Nigli near Sopore last month. The workers of the project were threatened and asked to stop work on the project which Pakistan thinks is a violation of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 between India and Pakistan. The militant attack resulted in fleeing of 300 workers of the project.
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