SRINAGAR: A Hindu-dominated village on Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district had a bloody start to the New Year with twin terrorist attacks claiming six lives since Sunday night. Hours after four civilians, including a father-son duo, were gunned down by terrorists who barged into their homes in Dangri village on Sunday night, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off around 9 am on Monday at the house of one of the victims. The blast killed two minors and injured 12.
Medical Superintendent of Government Medical College & Associated Hospital, Rajouri, Dr Mehmood Hussain told this newspaper that a three-year-old girl was brought dead to the hospital while a 16-year-old girl died of her injuries while undergoing treatment.
“Two men came to check our Aadhaar cards. After have a look at the cards, they dragged me and my child to the kitchen, locked us there and opened fired on our family members in another room,” the wife of Pritam Lal, who was gunned down on Sunday night and at whose house the IED went off on Monday morning, said.
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The twin attacks have left the villagers in a state of shock. They alleged lapses on the part of the security forces and staged a protest. “How come the terrorists managed to reach the village and how come the IED was not cleared by the security forces during the clearance operation after last evening’s attack?” a local resident asked.
The protesters threatened not to cremate the bodies till Lt Governor Manoj Sinha visited the spot, which he did on Monday evening. Sinha assured the people that all necessary actions will be taken and those responsible for the attack won’t go unpunished. He said an inquiry has been ordered to find out whether there were any security lapses. “We will avenge the killings,” he assured the villagers. Meanwhile, the security forces intensified a cordon-and-search operation in the area by inducting additional personnel to track down the two suspected terrorists.
