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My father was brave, I too have to be brave, says murdered Anantnag sarpanch’s daughter
Ajay Pandita Bharti, a sarpanch in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, was shot from close range by terrorists and killed near his residence on Monday
Days after her father was killed by terrorists in Kashmir, Niyanta Pandita, daughter of sarpanch Ajay Pandita Bharti said she will follow her father’s footsteps.
Ajay Pandita Bharti, a sarpanch in south Kashmir’s Anantnag, was shot from close range by terrorists and killed near his residence on Monday.
Niyanta said the family, which is currently in Jammu, will soon be moving back to Kashmir.
“My father was brave and I too have to be brave, we will not allow anybody to snatch our rights,” she said.
She said the terrorists who shot her father had been cowardly. “They didn’t have the guts to face him,” she said.
“They could have shot him in the chest, but they fired from behind, it is simply a case of cowardice,” she said.
PANDITA HAD DEMANDED SECURITY
She said her father had demanded security cover from the government after a sarpanch was killed in November last year. She said though no security was given, it didn’t deter or scare him from speaking for his people.
She said if her father had been given security, and his concerns had not been left unheard, maybe his death could have been averted.
She said the incident should serve as a lesson for the government. “The government should not take people’s concerns lightly,” she said.
“My father wasn’t scared for himself, but was concerned about the safety of his family,” she said. “Whatever the government deems right regarding providing security to sarpanchs, it must do that, I don’t want a similar tragedy repeated in Kashmir,” she said.
She said her father was elected sarpanch with the support of the people and had contested the elections on the insistence of the locals.
‘SOMEBODY TIPPED OFF TERRORISTS’
“They trusted him, I don’t say that every person is bad there, but there are some bad people too, otherwise how could they (the terrorists) have known when he left the block and reached home, and then went outside,” she said.
She said her father was not dependent on any party. He loved his country and worked for the upliftment of the people.
“He was the son of the nation. He doesn’t belong to any party,” she said.
