Srinagar: Police in Jammu and Kashmir has said the BJP councillor who was shot dead on Wednesday did not follow security protocols.
Rakesh Pandita was not accompanied by his personal security officers at the time of the incident.
Police said three unidentified gunmen opened fire at Pandita who was visiting his friend in the area.
"Rakesh Pandita and a daughter of his friend received serious gunshot injuries. Pandita succumbed to his injuries while another person was shifted to hospital for treatment of her injuries," police said.
"However, at the time of the incident, he was without his personal security officers."
Read: Jammu & Kashmir: BJP leader shot dead in south Kashmir's Tral
Pandita is among the nine BJP workers who have been killed in the last eight months by militants in Kashmir.
Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit had migrated to Jammu in the 1990s after militancy erupted in the erstwhile state.
In 2018, several Kashmiri pandits have contested the panchayat and Urban Local Bodies election on BJP tickets as National Conference and the PDP boycotted the polls.
Read: BJP leader shot dead in South Kashmir
Kashmir Zone Police issues advisory
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir zone, Vijay Kumar on Thursday issued an advisory for all the protected persons from going anywhere without personal security officers (PSOs) in the wake of the brutal killing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Municipal Councillor Rakesh Pandita in Tral.
He further asserted that visits will be allowed only after ground assessment of local threat has been conducted. Announcing the IGP's orders, the Kashmir Zone police tweeted, "No #protectee should go anywhere without PSOs. Visits are allowed only after ground assessment of local #threat is done. Request is to all protectees not to #violate SOPs and risk their lives unnecessarily: IGP Kashmir Police."
"Late in the evening today (Wednesday), three unidentified terrorists fired upon Municipal Councillor of Tral Rakesh Pandita. He was a resident of Tral Bala who was visiting his friend at Tral Payeen. Somnath Pandita succumbed to injuries whereas daughter of his friend is seriously wounded," Inspector-General, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar told media
