J-K Govt failed in providing security to Panchayat members:PDP

"It is very unfortunate that Sarpanches and Panches are being killed. It is the responsibility of the state government to ensure their security and bring the perpetrators of such heinous crime to justice," president Mehbooba Mufti told reporters here.

She alleged that the wrong policies of the state as well as the central government were responsible for the situation coming to such a point.

"The state as well as central government always boast of conducting of successful panchayat elections, but they have failed to empower the elected members. They think their job was only to conduct elections. These members need to be empowered, otherwise the whole exercise will be futile," she said.

Mehbooba said government has to take responsibility, otherwise people will lose faith in democratic process.

The PDP president alleged that the NC-led government has made various democratic institutions in the state irrelevant and called for giving them more powers.

"NC and Congress have made various democratic institutions like Accountability Commission, Panchayats, RTI irrelevant and defunct. They have been rendered as tooth-less tigers," she said.