Two days after a Hizbul Mujahideen commander purportedly threatened to “pour acid” into the eyes of those who will contest the upcoming panchayat polls in Jammu and Kashmir, the police said on Tuesday that it will discuss the issue with the government because “providing security to every contestant is not possible.”
In an audio-clip, the Hizb commander for southern Kashmir Reyaz Naikoo has asked the outfit’s cadres not to kill those contesting the panchayat polls beginning next month, but “attack their eyes with acid.”
The audio-clip has already gone viral on social networking sites.
“We are fully aware of the threat issued by the Hizbul Mujahideen (commander),” director general of police Shesh Paul Vaid told Greater Kashmir, adding: “We can’t provide security cover
to each contesting candidate since the number is very huge. So, we will discuss the issue with the government and formulate a strategy to counter the threat.”
A source said that a high-level meeting shall discuss the issue after January 26 in the winter capital Jammu.
“The meeting is likely to be chaired by chief minister Mehbooba Mufti wherein heads of various security agencies would also be present,” he said.
The Hizb commander’s threat has also unnerved the contesting candidates and various panchayat associations.
“We want to clarify to the all mainstream parties and militant organisations that panchayat elections have no bearing on the Kashmir issue and those who would contest have no political affiliations,” claimed the president of All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference (AJKPC), Shafiq Mir. “We urge the militants to spare us as panchayat polls are actually community elections.”
He claimed that panchayat polls are completely apolitical and are “aimed at development of villages.”
“We urge the National Conference, PDP, Congress and other parties not to link us with them,” Mir said.
In the past five years, 16 panchayat members including sarpanchs and panchs were killed by unidentified gunmen, while 20 were injured, according to official figures.
As per the new delimitation of J&K panchayats, there are 36000 panchayats across the state including Ladakh, which means the same number of panchs will be in the poll fray.
Once panchs are elected, they would elect 4490 sarpanchs, who would head each panchayat in the state. In 2011, there were only 29000 panchayats in the state.