BJP youth leader’s throat slit in Valley, party blames militants

SRINAGAR : The body of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth president of Shopian district was found with his throat slit here on Thursday, with the party accusing militants of abducting and killing him.

The death comes more than two weeks after suspected militants shot dead a worker of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in the same district.

Police said the body of Gowhar Hussain Bhat, 30, a resident of Bongam Shopian, was found in Kiloora area.

“His body was recovered from a field. We are trying to ascertain what happened,” said a police official. “Such types of killings are done by militants nowadays,” the officer added.

Senior Kashmir BJP leader Altaf Thakur said Bhat was abducted by militants from his house at around 6pm. “His body was later found barely a kilometre away,” he added.

Thakur said Bhat was “very active” in the party. “His role in organising a youth convention in Srinagar recently was also highly appreciated,” he said.

On October 16, militants shot dead PDP worker and former sarpanch, Mohammad Ramzan Sheikh, 50. As the family of Sheikh resisted, one of the militants also died in the incident.

BSF JAWAN DIES, 2 PAK RANGERS INJURED

A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan was killed after Pakistan Rangers attacked a BSF patrol party along the 198-km-long India-pakistan International Border (IB) in Samba sector on Thursday morning.

“Pak Rangers’ unwarranted and dastardly act prompted the BSF to retaliate stringently and at least two of their Rangers have suffered serious injuries in our retaliatory fire. We targeted their Pir Bunker, Sukamal and two other posts,” a senior BSF officer told Hindustan Times.

The deceased jawan was identified as constable Tapan Mondal, 25, a native of Murshidabad in West Bengal. He is survived by his mother Sumitra Mondal.

Samba deputy commissioner Sheetal Nanda said border schools within 5km have been shut.