Srinagar, October 29: A municipal body in Jammu & Kashmir's Shopian district was set on fire by suspected militants late on Friday. Major portions of the building were gutted in the blaze, local reports said. Since the premises had been closed, no casualties were incurred.

The incidents comes days after the controversial civic elections held in the state, which was boycotted by the two major regional parties - National Conference (NC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP). BJP Emerges Single-Largest Party in J&K Civic Polls.

In militancy-hit South Kashmir, less than 4 per cent polling was recorded. The BJP ended up bagging its first major victories in the Valley, winning 53 of the 123 wards in the four districts. In Shopian, the party had won 13 of the 17 municipality seats unopposed.

The PDP and NC had not participated in the polls, citing the Centre's "cryptic stance" on Article 35(A), which guarantees special status to J&K. The two parties had also appealed Governor Satya Pal Malik to defer the polls, claiming that the condition was not conducive for elections in the Valley.

The attack on the municipal office comes in the wake of a spree of terror attacks in South Kashmir over the past week. On Sunday, a police officer was shot dead in Wahubugh region of Pulwama district, whereas, a PDP worker was assassinated in a separate assault on the outskirts of Srinagar.

Security operations by the forces have also  yielded results as 10 insurgents have been killed in the past one week. A video has also surfaced where the body of one of the slain militants was seized by the villagers, who performed funeral with hundreds in attendance raising slogans against the Army.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 29, 2018 10:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).