Killings of two NC workers in Srinagar cast shadow on civic polls, force some candidates to rethink participation

Srinagar: The killing of two National Conference workers in downtown Srinagar on Friday morning has cast a shadow on the municipal polls, which are going to be held in three days. Police said suspected militants shot dead Nazir Ahmad Bhat and Mushtaq Ahmad Wani in Srinagar’s Karfali mohalla. However, the victims’ families are blaming security forces for the killing. According to reports, one of the deceased was the personal assistant of National Conference MLA from Habba Kadal constituency of downtown Srinagar Shamima Firdous, while another was a long-time worker of the party. The killings have made many candidates fearful. In the absence of any real contest due to a boycott by the two biggest regional parties, many young faces were hopeful of entering the power corridors at the grassroots level and making a difference. The killings may have forced them to rethink. “I don’t want to lose my life,” said Muzamil Jan, who had filed her nomination papers from Ward No 4 of Dalgate but has decided to pull out of the contest due to the twin killings in Srinagar. In the Kashmir Valley, the Srinagar municipal corporation was the only place which witnessed a tremendous rush of candidates, who had earlier been on the margins of the political spectrum. While both the BJP and Congress found it difficult to find candidates in south and north Kashmir, there was no dearth of candidates in the capital. [caption id=“attachment_5325781” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Security personnel at the place where the NC workers were killed in Srinagar. Image procured by Sameer Yasir[/caption] For 74 wards in Srinagar, 330 people, including women, have filed nomination papers. But that equation may change now. The biggest reason why Srinagarites had stood up against militant threats and people’s anger against the political climate in the Valley was the fact that the capital city had witnessed a semblance of normalcy for some years now in terms of militant violence, which remains concentrated in the southern and northern parts of the state. This played a major role in mobilising candidates. The latest killings have broken the peace that prevailed in the capital city, but no one seems to have any idea why workers of the NC, a party which boycotted the polls, would become the targets of militants. “No one should be killed for subscribing to any political ideology, but I am shocked that our workers are getting killed. We have boycotted this elections. Holding any polls when the situation is not conducive and anger among people is at an all-time high, would be disastrous,” former home minister of Jammu and Kashmir and senior National Conference leader, Nasir Aslam Wani, said. “No one is interested in this farce,” he added. The attack, which left two people dead and another critically injured, has shocked everyone. Former chief minister and deputy chief of National Conference, Omar Abdullah, tweeted: “I cannot condemn strongly enough the murderous terrorist attack against three of my party workers. Nazir Ahmed Bhat (working in the office of MLA Shamima Firdous) and Mushtaq Ahmed Wani have been killed. Allah Jannat naseeb karey (May God grant them a place in heaven).” “Shakeel Ahmad Zangoo has been injured and is in hospital. I pray for his complete and speedy recovery. May the families of Nazir, Mushtaq & Shakeel find strength in this most difficult time,” Omar wrote on Twitter. Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti also expressed anguish over the killing, “Pained to hear about the killing of two NC workers. My heart goes out to their families and children. Cannot possibly imagine what they must be going through,” Mehbooba tweeted. There are a total of 79 municipal bodies in Jammu and Kashmir, which include the municipal corporations in Srinagar and Jammu, six municipal councils and 71 municipal committees. Although militancy has staged a comeback in the city after a long gap, the candidates for municipal elections were openly roaming in their respective wards and urging people to vote for them. “We have taken extreme care in ensuring the individual security of the candidates,” Shaleen Kabra, Chief Electoral Officer of the state, said. “In certain cases, the individual contestants have made their own arrangements. For any person requires our help, district authorities are there and willing to chip in.” The government has already managed a reinforcement of more than 40,000 paramilitary personnel who will stay in the state till the panchayats are elected. Polls for the Srinagar municipal corporation will be held in four phases: three wards on 8 October, 20 wards on 10 October, 26 wards on 13 October and the remaining 25 wards on 16 October. However, the fact that the killings took place at a time when massive security arrangements have been made in Srinagar has dented the confidence of candidates as well as the voters. “I thought the situation was bad in the southern region and we would concentrate on small issues. These polls have nothing to do with the larger Kashmir issue. But after these killings, I am scared,” Manzoor Ahmad Sofi, an independent candidate, said on Friday afternoon.