J&K Cong protests against sarpanch killing, demands judicial probe

The party held a peaceful demonstration over the failure of the government to protect the life of a minority leader and elected sarpanch, who had been apprehending threat to his life.

The Jammu and Kashmir unit of Congress on Wednesday staged a demonstration here against the recent killing of a party sarpanch by terrorists in the Valley and demanded a judicial probe into the incident.

JKPCC president GA Mir along with party workers raise slogans during a protest in Jammu on Wednesday. (PTI)

Led by J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Ghulam Ahmad Mir, a group of Congress leaders and activists came out of the party headquarters at Residency Road and held a peaceful demonstration over the failure of the government to protect the life of a minority leader and elected sarpanch, who had been apprehending threat to his life.

“Pandit was a basic member of the Congress and this is the second killing of a party sarpanch in this area in the recent past which needs to be looked into. We want Lieutenant Governor GC Murmu to order a judicial probe into the killing to unveil the conspiracy and the negligence in protecting the precious lives,” Mir said while addressing reporters here.

“We want to know why a particular group is being targeted in a particular area and what is the motive behind such killings,” he said, adding that the latest killing has caused a fear among the elected representatives, especially among minority leaders.

The time demands that a fresh security assessment is made and those elected members be provided security who are living in vulnerable areas or facing threat to their lives, Mir said.

Former minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla also charged the UT administration of adopting dual yardsticks and discriminatory approach in the matter of security to political leaders.