A sarpanch and an employee of the agriculture department were killed in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district Tuesday.

The incident took place when the ‘Back to Village’ (B2V2) programme was ongoing at Hakhoora village in Badasgam. The programme aims to provide governance at the doorsteps of the rural populace.

The deceased are Anantnag sarpanch Syed Rafiq, and Zahoor Ahmed, an employee of the agriculture department. Another civilian, Manzoor Ahmed, suffered grievousinjuries in the attack, said a senior police officer.The J&K administration had stepped up security in rural Kashmir ever since the B2V2 programme began.The Anantnag attack took place barely three hours after a low-intensity explosive device went off in Srinagar outside the University of Kashmir in which four civilians suffered minor injuries.

Srinagar Superintendent of Police Sajad Shah said they are ascertaining the cause of the blast.

These two incidents have rung alarm bells in the security establishment in Kashmir, which has been anticipating heightened militant activities after the central government scrapped Article 370.