The recent killing of a sarpanch by unidentified gunmen in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Kulgam district seems to have panicked those elected with him during the state’s first major urban local body elections held last year after a gap of more than 10 years. These elections had witnessed an enormous interest among the people and in most cases the turnout recorded was between 60 and 80 per cent.
Several sarpanchs have, through paid classifieds in vernacular newspapers, announced their resignations, most of them citing personal reasons for calling it a day. Not only that, they have also publicly pledged they will have no relationship whatsoever with any political party, including those who sponsored them in these elections, otherwise held on non-party basis.
“I was recently elected as a sarpanch from Ward No. 1 of Kulgam but for tight personal schedule and also because of certain conditions prevailing at my home I’ve resigned. Henceforth, I’ll have no association with (ruling) National Conference or any other political party,” announces one of these signed by Sarwa Banoo, a woman sarpanch from Dasnad, Kulgam. Another from Abdul Majeed Teli of Sherpora, Frisal, also in south Kashmir, says he too has resigned for personal reasons but then adds he will have no association with any political party from now onwards. The latter part of the advertisement speaks volumes about the degree of fear sarpanch Gul Muhammad Dar’s murder blamed on separatist militants by the police, has instilled among the elected members of the urban local bodies.