AJKPC demands judicial probe in killings of Panchayat members

JAMMU: All Jammu and Kashmir Panchayat Conference today demanded to constitute a judicial commission to probe the killings of Panchayat members in the state.

"We demand setting up of a judicial commission to unmask the killers, who are selectively targeting the innocent Panchayat members in the state," AJKPC president Anil Sharma told reporters here.

Condemning the killing of Sarpanch Ghulam Ahmad Bhat, who was shot dead in Wanpoh village of Kulgam district yesterday, he said Bhat is the ninth Panchayat member who has been killed in violence against Sarpanches.

"AJKPC shares the grief of his family and salute his martyrdom," Sharma said.

The AJKPC president also accused the state government of being incompetent, saying "the Chief Minister not only failed to protect the lives of the panchayat members but also failed to nab the killers who are roaming free."

"We demand a judicial panel in a time-bound manner to find out who is killing our Panchayat members, whether the assassins are coming from across the border or they are locals, let the truth come out," Sharma said.

Demanding a thorough probe in the killings, Sharma said, "We, the 33,000 elected Panchayat members, demand a thorough probe by a judicial commission under the chairmanship of a sitting High Court or Supreme Court judge."

The AJKPC once again reiterated its demand of sufficient ex-gratia amount for the next of kin of the martyr Panchayat members besides government job for at least one family member.