Miscreants set panchayat ghar on fire in Jammu and Kashmir's Bandipora district, 8th such incident in valley

Srinagar: Miscreants set a panchayat ghar on fire in Bandipora district of Jammu and Kashmir, taking the number of such government buildings being torched since the announcement of the local bodies polls in the state to eight, police said Tuesday.

“Unknown miscreants tried to set ablaze a panchayat ghar at Matrigam Tikri in the Pehthkote area of Banipora district in north Kashmir Monday,” a police official said. He said the fire resulted in partial damage to the building.

Fire tenders were rushed to the spot as soon as the news of the incident was received, the official said. He said this was the eighth such incident in which a panchayat ghar has been set on fire since the polls for municipal bodies and panchayats were announced in the state. Most of these buildings were set on fire in south Kashmir, the official said, adding that the police have registered cases in all the incidents and investigations were on.

Separatists and militants have asked people to stay away from the polls, which have also been boycotted by the state’s two main political parties – the National Conference and the PDP – and also by the CPI(M). The violence has also cast a shadow on the polls, scheduled to be held in October and November, respectively.

Three cops were abducted and later killed by militants in Shopian district of south Kashmir, following which several special police officers (SPOs) of Jammu and Kashmir announced their resignation on social media.

Director General of Police Dilbagh Singh and the valley’s top army official Lt Gen AK Bhatt on Monday reviewed the security situation ahead of the polls at a meeting at Handwara in Kupwara district of the state.

The senior security officials emphasised that the existing cooperation and synergy between different forces is to be further strengthened to combat militancy and also to ensure smooth conduct of the local governance elections.