Srinagar, April 17: A day ahead of the second phase of panchayat polls in Kashmir, killing of a woman candidate in central district Budgam has triggered panic among village-level contestants as four candidates including two women withdrew their papers in distress on Saturday. The 16-phased panchayat polls began on April 13 after a deacde with around 80 per cent participation in the inaugural phase but the killing of a candidate by militants is likely to hamper the process.
Police said that unidentified gunmen barged into the house of 45-year-old Haseena Akhtar in Karpora village in the Pakherpora pocket of central district Budgam late on Friday night. They called the woman out and opened fire on her. she died instantly. Akhtar was contesting for village-level panch post. Though the elections are held on non-party basis, but the deceased is reportedly associated with Opposition People’s Democratic Party. Her village was going to polls on Sunday, in the second phase of the elections.
After Akhtar’s killing, four candidates from the neighbouring villages — Shugufta Akhtar, Muhammad Yousuf Wani, Parvez Ahmad Laway and Taja Begum withdrew their papers and announced publicly that they would not be contesting the polls.
A middle-rung police officer posted in the area said that Lashkar-e-Tayyeba outfit had circulated posters in the area last week warning the people against participation in panchayat polls. Police believe that Lashkar militants were behind Haseena Akhtar’s murder.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said that it was unclear whether the killing of the woman candidate was related to panchayat polls. He said in Jammu that police were investigating the matter.
–Agencies–