Omar to take Sarpanch killings to UHQ

KT NEWS SERVICE. Dated: 9/25/2012 12:15:57 AM

‘All efforts will be made to safeguard Panches, Sarpanches’

SRINAGAR, Sep 24: A day after killing of deputy sarpanch in North Kashmir village, the Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said he would take up the issue of providing security to panchayat members in the next meeting of Unified Headquarters “to ensure their safety and smooth functioning” of Panchayats.
Abdullah condemned the killing and described the act as heinous and against public cause.
He said that establishment of powerful and functional Panchayat Raj in the State was his government’s commitment.
“All efforts would be made to safeguard the Panches and Sarpanches and efforts would be made to provide them conducive atmosphere to work for the good of people,” Abdullah said.
According to government spokesman Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Ali Mohammad Sagar has also condemned the killing.
“The killing is against public cause. And with the establishment of a vibrant Panchayati Raj system effective decentralization of powers was done and the people who are trying to disrupt the same were acting against the public cause,” the spokesman said while quoting Sagar.
On Sunday night, Police said unidentified militants shot dead deputy sarpanch Mohammad Shafi
Teli at village Nowpora in district Baramulla, around 45 km northwest of Srinagar city. So far no militant outfit has claimed responsibility of this killing.
This was the second killing of Panchyati member in a fortnight. On September 10, suspected militants killed a Sarpanch in Palhalan village of Baramulla district. Following the killing, many sarpanches and panches tendered resignations. The resignation of Sarpanches and Panches is not confined to North Kashmir.
In South Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian area, around 300 panchayat members have announced their resignations through newspapers.
The resignations were announced in the first week of June after some militant outfits issued threats through posters in Pulwama and Shopian.
Eight sarpanchs and panchs have been killed ever since 33,500 representatives were elected in the 2011 panchayati polls. In 2011, panchyati elections were held after a gap of 30 years in Jammu and Kashmir.
Five killings have taken place in South Kashmir districts where as three killings have been reported from North Kashmir.
The Jammu Kashmir Panchayat Conference, one of the representative body of panches and sarpanches, have been demanding security cover for Panches and Sarpanches.
“Many a times we wrote to the government, asking for security cover to the sarpanches in sensitive areas but state government remained mute spectator to the situation,” the organisation said in a recent press statement.

 

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