'Aadhaar Dekhkar Goli Marne Wale Terrorist': BJP Ex-Sarpanch Was Asked For ID Card First, Then Shot Dead

The local police informed that the unidentified gunmen asked ex-sarpanch Sheikh for his identity card before opening fire at him.

Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha polls in Jammu and Kashmir, an ex-sarpanch Aijaz Sheikh associated with the BJP was shot dead by militants at his home in Shopian. Relatives of Sheikh recounted that some gunmen barged into his house Saturday night and fired at him from point-blank range. Delving into the incident, the local police informed that the unidentified gunmen asked Sheikh for his identity card before opening fire at him.  

Sheikh’s body was brought to his village Sunday morning for his last rites, where hundreds of people gathered to attend the ceremony. The ex-sarpanch was elected five years ago, his term ended in January this year. Sheikh gained traction on social media for a video praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's development efforts that had recently gone viral.  

The attack on Sheikh occurred barely 15 minutes after unidentified assailants on a two-wheeler fired at tourist couple Tabrez and Farha in Pahalgam. Officials said that while Tabrez remains in critical condition, his wife Farha is stable but under observation. The couple’s 5-year-old twins escaped unhurt but were in a state of shock, according to their family members in Jaipur. 

Regional and national political parties including National Conference, PDP and the BJP, condemned the attacks. 

The developments coincide with the Lok Sabha elections going on in the region that is seeing a record percentage of voter turnout.  The Baramulla seat went for polling today in the fifth phase and has showcased a remarkable voter turnout of 34.79% by 1 PM. The fourth phase of voting for the general elections to the 18th Lok Sabha recently concluded with a turnout of 36.58 per cent in the districts of Srinagar, Ganderbal, Pulwama, Budgam, and parts of Shopian.