SRINAGAR: A village-head and a government official were killed and another person was injured as unknown assailants exploded a bomb at a village council in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Anantnag district on Tuesday to target the government’s public outreach ‘Back to Village II’ (B2V2) campaign.
The week-long flagship programme, aimed at providing governance at the doorsteps of the rural populace and enlisting community participation across the Union Territory (UT) of J&K, began on Monday. It is the government’s first major attempt to reach out the people at rural level after abrogation of Article 370 and splitting J&K up into two separate Union Territories (UTs) on August 5.
Another grenade attack carried out in a marketplace in Srinagar’s Hazratbal area earlier during the day left four persons injured. As the blast took place less than ten yards away from Sir Syed Gate- the main (southern) entrance to University of Kashmir-it created panic among the students, faculty and other staff present on the campus. The police termed it a ‘low intensity’ blast.
The authorities blamed separatist militants for both these incidents. They said that a manhunt has been launched for those involved in carrying out attacks.
Giving the details, the police said that militants hurled a hand grenade towards a Panchayat ghar in Hakura, Badasgam village of Anantnag at 3. 30 pm to target about eighty people including government officials who had gathered within the premises in connection with the ‘B2V2’ programme.
They said sarpanch of the village, 42-year-old Peer Muhammad Rafiq owing allegiance to Congress party and Assistant Agricultural Officer Zahoor Ahmed Sheikh were killed on the spot whereas another person was injured in the attack. The police said that the assailants also opened fire before fleeing from the scene.
The authorities said that ‘B2V2’ programme will continue and Tuesday’s grenade attack in Anantnag should not stop the government from reaching out to the people.
Meanwhile, unknown persons set ablaze a Sufi shrine adjacent to a mosque in Tral town of Kashmir’s Pulwama district during the intervening night of November 25 and 26.
The Jammu & Kashmir police said that a portion of the shrine dedicated to Mir Syed Muhammad Hamdani, a priest from Persia, at Kounsarbal area of Tral, was damaged.
