A Kashmiri Pandit sarpanch who was killed by militants on Monday had weeks earlier asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah why their lives were so cheap, referring to the lack of security for panchayat members after the Centre made lofty promises to them in the run-up to rural elections.

Congress sarpanch Ajay Pandita was shot dead in his orchard by bike-borne militants at Lukbawan village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag. It is the first killing of a panchayat member from the Pandit community since the 2018 local body elections during which many migrant Pandits had contested the polls, mostly with the BJP’s backing. Major Valley parties such as the National Conference and People’s Democratic Party had boycotted the polls over reports that the Centre was planning to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, which it eventually did in 2019.

In a recent interview to a local cable network in Jammu, which has gained wide traction on social media after his death, Pandita, 45, had expressed worries about the lack of security and claimed that the government was playing with the lives of panchayat chiefs by denying them the cover. “I want to ask Modiji and Amitji, are the lives of sarpanches and panches so cheap?” Pandita had asked.

Pandita’s sister hugs his body before the funeral on Tuesday. (PTI)

He had claimed that he felt somebody was firing from the shoulders of the panchayat leaders and that their lives were being compromised.

The sarpanch recalled how he had approached top government functionaries for security and accommodation but got nothing. He said he got elected as a panch (who in turn elect the sarpanch) with mostly Muslim votes and felt ashamed that he could not do much for the people.

“When a sarpanch is not safe, how can others feel safe? Sarpanches and panches feel unsafe and are treated as untouchables,” he said.

A panchayat member in south Kashmir said they had lost several members to militant attacks after the December 2018 panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir, which saw abysmal participation by voters in the Valley due to a boycott call by the major Valley parties.

In the absence of other parties, the BJP won many seats. Candidates claim the government had made big promises to them, including giving them sweeping powers and also ensuring their safety, but were left to fend for themselves after the polls were over.

“We feel very insecure. Our pleas for security cover are not accepted. That is what makes us easy targets,” the panchayat member said.

The Congress has demanded a judicial probe into the killing of Pandita and pointed out that he was murdered in a village that hosts a big army camp.

Lieutenant governor Girish Chandra Murmu expressed deep pain and anguish at the killing and called it a cowardly act.

“Those behind the killing are the enemies of humanity. The attack on any public representative is the attack on the democratic setup,” he said in a statement.

Murmu has directed the authorities to spare no effort in bringing the culprits to justice.