Militants on Sunday evening gunned down a municipal councilor in north Kashmir's Sopore, 54 kms from Srinagar.

The police said militants fired a volley of bullets at Mohammad Afzal Dar, sitting independent municipal councilor, near his house in Baba Raza locality in the densely populated apple rich town.

A bleeding Dar was rushed to hospital in Sopore town where the doctors battled to save his life.

But the councilor succumbed.

So far, over a dozen elected councilors have been gunned down by militants, who had been warning people not to participate in the local body elections held last year.

Over two-dozen councilors had resigned their posts.

The state government then decided to provide them with an armed guard and also to shift them to secured pooled accommodation.

The councilors have been maintaining that the security provided to them is inadequate.

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