Militant threat continues to loom over sarpanches in south Kashmir

ANANTNAG: Anees-ul-islam, 30, contested the local bodies’ elections in Jammu and Kashmir last year hoping to do his bit in developing his village — Sagam in Anantnag district. He entered the fray despite threats to his life in the militancy-hit South Kashmir district. Many like Islam hoped the situation would get better to allow them to fulfil the promises they had made to their voters. But the situation has gone from bad to worse, so much so that Islam has been unable to even visit his family in Sagam.

“I am living in a rented room in the town [Anantnag] along with my wife and two children since I became a sarpanch,” he said.

Islam is not alone. Hundreds of elected sarpanches have been unable to visit their families since getting elected in the Panchayat polls held in November-december last year. The elections were held under the shadow of militant threats. In August 2018, Hizb-ulmujhadeen (HM) commander Riyaz Naikoo issued a video message threatening acid attacks against the participants.

The elections were held without any major violence. But militant violence has escalated in South Kashmir over the last six months. On May 4, suspected militants killed Bharatiya Janata Party functionary Ghulam Mohammed Mir, 55, in Anantnag. The attack on Mir was the latest in militant assaults in south Kashmir, which has become a militant hub since the killing of HM militant Burhan Wani in 2016.

Islam said they face a double whammy as they were hardly getting their salaries, not to mention a lack of developmental funds. “We thought we would at least help rebuild lanes and by-lanes in my village...but since getting elected, I am literally homeless. Many of us got government accommodation for the initial few months, but were later told to vacate them.”

Farooq, who refused to give his second name fearing reprisals, was forced to quit even before takling his oath in the face of specific threats. He said gunmen came to kill him a week after he was elected as sarpanch in Shopian. He, too, has not returned home despite quitting. “I am afraid to go back.” These sarpanches say their pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears even as they have threatened hunger strikes and mass resignations.

A police officer in Srinagar said following Mir’s killing they have now been directed to reassess the security of sarpanches and panches facing threats. “After threat assessment of these people, security will be provided to them,” the officer said.

Many like Irshad Ahmad said they were elected unopposed but are yet to get funds since their election has not been notified officially.

Mohammad Nazir Sheikh, the director of Panchayats, said a sarpanch needed the backing of onethird of panches to get notified under the previous Panchayat Raj Act. He said 230 sarpanches are yet to be notified since they do not have any Panches to back them.

A 41.3% turnout was recorded in the panchayat polls in Kashmir while it was 83.5% in the state’s Jammu region. Across South Kashmir’s Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag districts, there was no polling in the absence of candidates in a majority of the villages. As a result, of the 1,560 sarpanches elected, only 1,330 could be notified since at least 11,236 panch posts remain vacant.

A 41.3% TURNOUT WAS RECORDED IN THE PANCHAYAT POLLS IN KASHMIR WHILE IT WAS 83.5% IN JAMMU. THERE WAS NO POLLING IN FOUR DISTRICTS OF SOUTH KASHMIR