Panchayat polls in Jammu & Kashmir are scheduled to be held in nine phases, beginning November.
New Delhi: Suspected militants have released two videos on social media threatening candidates to withdraw their names from the forthcoming panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir and issue an apology to the people on their Facebook pages, failing which they would face consequences.
The videos, suspected to be the handiwork of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen, had gone viral soon after they were uploaded. Candidates, especially from areas such as Baramulla, Sopore and Kupwara seem to be the main target of the militants, and were warned of a “severe punishment”.
Panchayat polls are scheduled to be held in nine phases, the first being in November. The polling will be held through ballots to elect representatives to 4,500 panchayat areas across 316 blocks. The municipal polls are due on 8 October.
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A video released early Monday, which reportedly features a Lashkar commander, shows him saying, “Whoever does not apologise to the people of Kashmir for contesting this election, there will be action against them after three days. If that candidate does not withdraw, he will be responsible for his death.
“It is a warning that candidates from across districts, including Baramulla, Sopore should withdraw and then issue an apology to the people of Kashmir, for participating in the elections, on their Facebook pages in the next three dates,” he adds.
In another video, a suspected Hizbul Mujahideen operative says, “Whoever has agreed to contest the election should withdraw, else they will be held responsible for what happens in the Valley next.”
The authenticity of these videos could not be verified by ThePrint.
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This is not the first time that militants have issued such a warning. In January last year, Hizbul Mujahideen had threatened to “pour acid” in the eyes of those who would participate in the panchayat elections in the state. Even then, a series of videos were released on social media that were widely circulated.
The panchayat polls were last held in Kashmir in 2011 which saw a record turnout of 80 per cent. The polls were scheduled in 2016 but were not held following violence after the death of young Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. They were then scheduled for February 2017 but were cancelled yet again as the situation in the Valley remained tense.