J&K Police – Defence News of India

SOURCE: TIMES NOW

The Jammu and Kashmir Police today said that Hizbul Mujahideen was involved in the killing of Congress Sarpanch Ajay Pandita in Anantnag on June 8 and urged all the vulnerable village headmen to come forward and seek police protection. According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, terrorists fired from a close range and grievously injured 40-year-old Ajay Pandita, Sarpanch of Lokbowan Halqa in Anantnag. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Talking to the media, IG Police Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said that Hizbul Mujahideen was involved and name of a terrorist Umar, who was killed recently, is coming up.

‘Appeal to all vulnerable sarpanches to inform the police for protection’

“Eyewitness has confirmed. The report of the ballistic forensic lab is yet to come,” he said and appealed to all sarpanches, who are vulnerable, to inform the police for protection.

However, after Pandita’s murder, the Pakistan-backed Tehreek Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the crime.

Pandita had been living in south Kashmir for the past 24 years and could have been targeted much earlier with many Kashmiri Pandit organizations are demanding a judicial probe into the murder, reported IANS.

A petition filed in the J&K High Court seeking a CBI probe

Yesterday, a petition has been filed in the J&K High Court seeking a CBI probe into the killing of Pandita.

The petition filed by a friend of Pandita said the “victim is a member of the minority Kashmiri Pandit community which has been persecuted in the Valley since 1989 till date. Even after 1989 and early 1990s, the Jammu and Kashmir police failed to act at that time and due to their inactiveness, no accused was prosecuted for the same.”

The Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) has also condemned the assassination asking for an inquiry to ascertain why there was a lapse in providing security to him when he had requested for the same based on threat perceptions.