Unidentified gunmen shot down a former village sarpanch associated with the Opposition, National Conference, in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday, PTI reported. A police official told the news agency that gunmen shot Fayaz Ahmad Bhat at his residence in Kandizal on Sunday afternoon. Some reports have alleged the gunmen were militants.

Daily life in the state has been affected by violence that followed the killing Hizbul Mujahideen leader Burhan Wani and increased militant movement. Wani’s death in an encounter triggered statewide protests, while the government’s handling of the law-and-order situation drew criticism. The killing also led India’s relations with Pakistan to worsen, with the neighbouring country declaring Wani a martyr and calling for plebiscites in Kashmir.