Jammu & Kashmir: Police have recovered the dead body of missing Srinagar Panch from an orchard in Dangam area of Shopian district ten days after his abduction. Panch was abducted from Chakoora village of Shopian on 19th of August where he was visiting a relative.

Police said that the body was buried in an orchard and got exposed due to the incessant rains in the area during the last 48 hours. A passerby spotted the body, who informed the police. Later a police team reached the spot and recovered it, they said.

The body has been identified to be that of the Panch Nissar Ahmad Bhat of Khonmoh.

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“The dead body recovered from Shopian is of  Panch Nisar Ahmed Bhat S/o Abdul Ahad Bhat R/o Khonmoh. He had gone to Shopian to meet the Abdul Rashid Bhat father of Suhail Ahmed Bhat an active terrorist of  Al Badr militant. He had traveled with one Aqib Rasid Bhat of Muradpora who had dropped him at Hajipora- chakoora crossing on his motor cycle and went missing thereafter.

Police said that the panch had a checked past and had as many as 12 FIRs registered against him. Nisar has been a former terrorist, and surrendered to join J&K police and had later resigned from police to contest panchayat election. He was even booked under PSA in 2005.

Last week militants released an audio in which they claimed to have killed the panch and “did not return the body due to covid-19 pandemic.” Police declined to comment on the purported audio.

This is the 9th killing by the militants of political activists, and the 4th panchayat member to have fallen to militant bullets since June. While, party affiliation of Nisar is not immediately known, two sarpanchs of BJP and one from Congress have been killed along with 5 BJP workers since June 4 this year.