He later went on to clarify his stance, tweeting that his words were taken out of context.
The stage is set for the second phase of assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir which will seal the fate of 175 candidates, including the deputy speaker, four ministers and 11 other sitting MLAs, amidst tight security in Kulgam and Kupwara districts following the murder of a sarpanch by militants.
That's not all, India's out-of-favour cricketer Gautam Gambhir found himself in the middle of the row after adding his own two bit.
The alarming incident occurred during the funeral of Fayaz Ahmed alias Setha, a resident of Qaimoh area of Kulgam, who was killed in retaliation on Saturday after terrorists had fired upon a police party which had gone to Mir Bazaar area to investigate a road accident.
Kashmir was indeed in need of a messiah that summer; 70 per cent of its population aged below 31 were up in arms against the Indian State. Every nook and corner of the land brought forth stories of youngsters with crushed bodies and an unfaltering spirit.
The duo aspires to join 'operation all out' against terrorists in Kashmir and fight against the enemies of the nation.
The protest was organised by All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference (ASKPC), whose delegation led by its president Ravinder Raina later submitted a memorandum to the Lt Governor G C Murmu, highlighting various demands with special thrust for return and rehabilitation in their homeland.
Aurangzeb's family had made an emotional appeal to the PM to avenge his death.
With these deaths, the toll in the ongoing agitation in Kashmir has gone up to 78.
The EC notification said the state administration apprehends that "violent attempts" can be made by miscreants to thwart the poll process.
A sarpanch was gunned down by unidentified militants in north Kashmir's Baramulla district on Sunday evening. Today's killing is yet another in a series of relentless attacks against the panches and sarpanches in the valley who have been clamouring for security by the administration.
The youngest victim of pellet in Kashmir has been discharged from a Srinagar hospital after surgery on her right eye but doctors are not sure if her eyesight will be restored completely.
The poll process for the second tier of the Panchayati Raj system will be completed by November 5, he said.
Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Council Chairman Amrit Malhotra has dissolved the House Committee which was formed to probe allegations of land grab against senior cabinet minister Taj Mohiuddin.
22-year-old Majid, who hails from Suchi village of Kulgam district, was identified by police with the help of some locals as well as the driver of the treasury van that came under Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists' attack on May 1 in Kulgam.
The army rescued 33 Gujjars and Bakerwals trapped in flash floods along with their livestock in south Kashmir's Shopian district.
The road is a lifeline for the border villages of the Kashmir Valley. It is of great importance as it connects Bafliaz, a town in the Poonch district, to Shopian in Pulwama district in the Kashmir Valley.
Three cops, including an officer, and a civilian were wounded in a powerful hand grenade blast in downtown Khanyar locality of the summer capital Srinagar on Wednesday evening.
Clashes between protesters and law enforcing agencies were reported from Sopore, Anantnag, Rajpora, Shopian towns and Safakadal area of the city.
Sarpanches and panches elected in elections last year in Kashmir valley have become soft targets for militants who have asked them to resign from their posts or face the consequences.
Hiba got the unwanted tag of being the youngest pellet victim in Kashmir on November 25 when she was hit by pellets inside her house during clashes between protesters and security forces in Shopian district.
The road, the alternative link between Kashmir and rest of the country, was closed after the season's first heavy snowfall in the Jammu region.
Unidentified persons looted two automatic rifles from a police post guarding minority community in Padguchi village of south Kashmir Shopian district on Friday afternoon.
Intense clashes had rocked Kashmir Valley in 2016 following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in July that year, resulting in the death of over 85 people.
Abdul Gani Dar was shot at three times from a close range with an AK assault rifle, he said, adding two bullets hit him in the chest and one in the shoulder.
"People should ensure that girls observe purdah in public places. If we spot any woman without purdah we will sprinkle acid on her face," handwritten posters of Lashkar Al Qaeda and Alqaeda Mujahideen warned.
Curfew remained in force in the five districts of Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian and Baramulla.
A total of 146 militancy-related incidents took place between January 15, 2015 to January 15, 2016, leaving 169 people -- 108 militants, 39 security personnel and 22 civilians -- dead. A total of 181 incidents of border firing were reported during the same period in the state which left 22 persons including eight security personnel dead and 75 others, including 13 security men injured
The annual pilgrimage to the 3,880 metre high holy cave shrine in south Kashmir Himalayas will resume on Tuesday, they said.
The United States has strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Kashmir ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's poll rally, and said it remained firm on its "commitment" to work with India to defeat terrorism in all forms.
A militant commander was killed in a fierce encounter in north Kashmir's Baramulla district early on Sunday.
The highway was closed on Saturday due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
There has been a steady rise in the number of youth taking up arms in the Valley since 2014 onwards as compared to 2011, 2012, and 2013.
It is time we pre-empt Pakistan and the separatists by fast tracking normalcy, advises Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
Curfew from the south Kashmir town was briefly lifted on Saturday morning after remaining in force for 49 days.
The joint separatist camp, including Hurriyat Conference factions led by Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik-led Jammu-Kashmir Liberation Front, has asked the people to march to Tral to pay tributes to Wani, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on this day last year.
Two militants of Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed in a fierce encounter in south Kashmir late on Thursday night, according to police.
Stone-pelters clashed with security personnel in Anantnag and in the Safakadal area in Srinagr in the wake of the rumours, he said.
Curfew was lifted in most parts of Kashmir from Monday and it was completely withdrawn two days ago.
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