Another sarpanch shot dead in J038;K

Police sources said Lone was fired at from a close range by the gunmen on Monday evening at his native village Kulpora in south Kashmirs Pulwama district. Lone was associated with the ruling National Conference.

Lones killing has come a month and half after the killing of another National Conference sarpanch in north Kashmir. Javid Ahmad Wani,a 40-year-old sarpanch,was killed on February 24 by unidentified gunmen at his native Kalantra village in Baramulla.

Before Wani,a Congress sarpanch was killed by militants at Sopore. On January 11,60-year-old Habibullah Mir was killed at Goripora village of Bomai in Sopore. On the same day,unidentified men also shot at and wounded a woman panch in Hardushiva village of Sopore.

The attacks had triggered fear among the members of grassroots democracy and a large number of panchs and sarpanchs had resigned in north Kashmir.