Concerned over the prevailing fear among village heads in Kashmir following killing of two of their colleagues in the last two weeks, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called for addressing the issue. The matter was raised by a member at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting in New Delhi chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi.

"The member informed the CWC that panchayat members in the Kashmir Valley are not given due rights and fear psychosis has gripped them following the killing of two sarpanches (village head)," Congress general secretary Janaradan Dwivedi told reporters after the meeting.

"Reacting to it, Rahul Gandhi called for addressing the issue," he added.

A village headman from the Congress party was gunned down by separatist guerrillas in north Kashmir's Baramulla district Sunday, while another, from the National Conference, was shot dead in the same area on Sep 10.