Gunfight casts shadow over J&K civic polls

The ongoing encounter between security forces and suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists at Anantnag may have come as a setback in the run up to the panchayat and urban local body elections likely to be scheduled in October-November, vitiating the atmosphere for polls to the grassroots tier of government in Jammu and Kashmir, officials aware of the matter said, a day after two decorated army officers (including a commanding officer) and a deputy superintendent of police were killed in the gunfight

- Mir Ehsan , Ravi Khajuria

This is the second major terror attack on security forces in south Kashmir in weeks; three soldiers of the 34 Rashtriya Rifles were killed in an ambush by terrorists in the Halan forest of Kulgam on August 4, triggering concerns about a possible deterioration in the security situation ahead of the process to elect grassroot leadership (around 30,000 representatives), the officials said, asking not to be named. The terrorists behind the Kulgam attack are still at large.

Some officials, however, were of the view that conducting the elections would not be a major challenge for the administration as polls have been held in J&K during peak terrorism in the past.

Both attacks took place at a time when calm was returning to the Valley and the upcoming polls were expected to be smooth, the officials said.  

“The two attacks are a chilling reminder that the threat of terrorism persists in Kashmir and the security forces need to keep their guard up,” said one of the officials cited above.