Shopian: Nine days after an elected Panchayat member went missing, his body was recovered from the orchards of Dangam village in Shopian on Friday.
The slain was identified as Nisar Ahmad Bhat, a resident of Khonmoh area on Srinagar outskirts. He was a panch affiliated with the BJP.
Locals informed the police that a body seemed to be buried in an orchard at the village as foul smell was emanating from the spot.
Police, army along with locals reached the spot and retrieved the body which was later taken for medico-legal formalities.
Locals said the body was buried two feet under the soil and water had accumulated around.
Bhat’s family had filed a report with police stating that he left for Shopian on August 19 and was missing since then.
Last week militants released an audiotape in which they claimed to have killed the panch and “did not return the body due to covid-19 pandemic.” Police, however, had declined to comment on the purported audio.

Raashid Hassan