Block Development Council chairman shot dead in J&K’s Budgam

Tribune News Service
Srinagar, September 23 

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Block Development Council chairman in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on Wednesday evening, police said.

BDC Chairman Bhupinder Singh was shot dead at around 7.45 pm at his native village in Khag. Singh was presently residing at Aloochi Bagh in Srinagar and had travelled to Khag earlier the day.

Police said two personal security officers were deputed with him. 

“The BDC Chairman dropped two of his allotted PSOs in Police Station Khag and left to ancestral home,” a senior police officer said. “He was shot dead while on way home.”

Soon after the shooting, the forces rushed to the area and cordoned the area and launched a hunt to nab the culprits involved in the killing.  

The killing triggered condemnation from political parties.

“Very sorry to hear about the assassination of BDC councillor Bhupinder Singh. Mainstream grass root political workers are easy targets for militants & unfortunately in recent years the threat to them has only increased. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace,” former chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted.  

Peoples Conference Chairman Sajad Lone said “violence will get us nowhere”.  

BJP condemned it as “such barbarism and cowardly act”.. 

The Apni Party condemned the killing saying violence will yield nothing and has only pushed J&K to a dead end. 

Very sorry to hear about the assassination of BDC councillor Bhupinder Singh. Mainstream grass root political workers are easy targets for militants & unfortunately in recent years the threat to them has only increased. My condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.

— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) September 23, 2020