Senior Vice President of the People's Democratic Party's Srinagar unit Nisar Ahmad Mandoo resigned from the party's basic membership on Sunday, because of what he called the "anti-people policies" of the state government, reported PTI. Mandoo said he cannot "side with the bloodbath” of civilians in Kashmir anymore.

He accused the PDP of adopting "anti-people policies" ever since it allied with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed Bharatiya Janata Party. “I have been associated with PDP for the past 16 years. The party was formed to protect the lives and political dignity of people but today the party has deviated from these principles,” he said. He added that the ongoing crisis, which has left 81 people dead and thousands injured in the Valley in the last two-and-a-half months, has shaken his conscience, reported The Indian Express.

Mandoo is the second PDP leader to resign in the light of the ongoing crisis in Kashmir. On September 15, Lok Sabha member from Srinagar-Budgam constituency Tariq Hameed Karra resigned from the party as well as the Parliament. He had cited similar reasons for his resignation. Apart from Karra and Mandoo, four other junior leaders of PDP also resigned from the party on Saturday, reported The Indian Express.