Unidentified terrorists on Friday shot at and killed a sarpanch in north Kashmir Sopore. A police spokesman told this correspondent, "Unknown terrorists fired upon the sarpanch, Habibullah Mir, a resident of Gooripora Bomie, Sopore, in his house compound.

"He was shifted to sub-district hospital in Sopore in a serious condition where he succumbed to his injuries. The body of the deceased was handed over to his relatives for the last rites. The police has registered a case in this regard", a statement issued by the police said.

After their elections as village representatives in 2011, thousands of panches and sarpanches have been demanding security cover from the authorities in the valley.

Last year, the killings of two village representatives in north Kashmir's Baramulla district triggered a mass resignation trend with many elected village elders announcing their resignations through paid advertisements in vernacular newspapers.