New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said violence will never win in Kashmir, as he condoled the death of a sarpanch who was shot dead in Anantnag district this evening.

Ajay Pandita, a Kashmiri pandit sarpanch of the Larkipora area in Anantnag district and a member of the Congress party, was shot dead by militants in his native village around 6 pm, the police said.

Gandhi said Pandita sacrificed his life for the democratic process in Kashmir.

"My condolences to the family and friends of Ajay Pandita, who sacrificed his life for the democratic process in Kashmir. We stand with you in this time of grief. Violence will never win," he said on Twitter.