Two siblings killed, 10 others hurt in another terror attack at the same place in Rajouri village
As LG visits grieving families, angry villagers allege security lapse and administration’s failure to avert killings
BUNTY MAHAJAN
DANGRI, JANUARY 2: IN the first ever terror attack during past over three decade history of militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, two siblings were killed and 10 other villagers injured in an IED explosion on Monday at Upper Dangri village in UT’s border Rajouri district.
The explosion, the second back to back twin terror attacks since Sunday evening, six civilians including two children were killed and 16 others injured. Of them, while four people were killed and six injured in militants attack on three houses in the village on Sunday evening.
Later, when some villagers including children related to one of the deceased Deepak Sharma were sitting in the compound of his house on Monday morning, a powerful IED concealed under a gunny bag went off, killing two minor children and injuring ten others.
The local villagers said that the casualties in Monday’s explosion could have been more, but for the villagers who instead of taking the bodies home for mourning, sat on dharna at Dangri Chowk along with them in protest against administration’s failure to track down the militants.
Similarly, the casualties would have been more on Sunday evening attack also, if Bal Krishan, a member of the now defunct Village Defence Committee had not opened fire from his .303 rifle. He had refused to surrender the gun even after the administration had disbanded the VDC two and a half years ago, while all other VDC members in the area had returned their guns to the police.
Those who died in Monday morning’s explosion included Vihan (4) and Samiksha Sharma (16), both nephew and niece of Deepak Sharma who was killed by militants in firing the previous evening.
Sources said that militants had planted the IED on Sunday evening itself after the first attack in the village so as to inflict more casualties when people gather there for mourning..
Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police, Dilbagh Singh, said that the IED was planted to target senior police and security forces officials when they visit the attack site. He announced the revival of village defence committees (VDCs), saying that the villagers will be rearmed. Later, he attended a security meeting in Rajouri.
One more IED planted in the area was detected and defused, said Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh.
UT’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha visited the grieved families later in the evening and assured them all help from the administration. As locals complained him about security lapses leading to twin terror attacks, LG assured them a through investigation into the matter and militants will not go unpunished.
Condemning the attack, Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha announced Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia and a government job to the next of kin of those killed since Sunday evening, and Rs 1 lakh each to those with serious injuries. “I strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Rajouri.
The Additional Chief Secretary Home, R K Geol, Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, ADGP Mukesh Singh and Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar accompanied the LG.
Villagers said that two militants, one of them was short in height and carrying a pithu bag, first struck at the house of Deepak and opened fire injuring his younger brother Prince and cousin Rohit Pandit. Deepak, who was on the road outside the house, immediately ran inside and asked the militants as to what they were doing. The latter sprayed bullets from AK rifle killing him on the spot.
Thereafter, they moved to the house of Pritam Lal who along with two minor grandchildren was sitting in the compound where his daughter-in-law was cooking food on a “chullah’’. The militants asked him in Hindi to show the Adhaar card and as Pritam Lal went inside to bring the card, the militants pushed the woman and children in the kitchen and locked it from outside. Thereafter, they opened fire killing Pritam. His son Shishu, who had gone to his relative’s house in the neighbourhood, also reached there in the meantime and before he could realise anything, militants gunned him down as well.
Thereafter, they went to the house of Satish Kumar, an ex-serviceman, who after retirement was working as a security guard with some company at Mumbai. He had come home only 10-12 days ago to attend the death anniversary of his uncle.
According to villagers, he was closing the main gate of his house when militants forced it open and sprayed bullets killing him. His wife and children, besides his younger brother who were sitting inside the house too got injured in firing.
The militants then turned to a fourth house of one Chander Parkash and on finding only a woman and a minor girl incident the house, they left but not before spraying bullets on the walls and TV set and other articles there.
Senior police and civil officers tried in vein to persuade villagers lift dharna, with later refusing to oblige until Lt Governor Manoj Sinha himself visited them. Later in the evening, they moved the bodies to a nearby school only after Sinha visited them in the village and assured all help to the victim families, besides stern action against the militants.
While BJP’s UT president Ravinder Raina and Congress leaders Ravinder Sharma and Shabir Khan visited the grieved families, police stopped Congress working president Raman Bhalla near Sunderbani from proceeding to Dangri.
Meanwhile, people observed complete bandh in Rajouri town and its adjoining areas in protest over administration’s failure to avert the killings. The militants had been moving in the area for the past nearly a month, but no concrete and effective measures were taken to track them down on time, they added,
