Death toll reaches 7, people protest
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 8: Terror strike at village Upper Dhangri in the border district of Rajouri has left 48-year-old Saroj Bala all alone in the family as her two younger sons have died including 21-year-old Prince Sharma, who succumbed to the injuries in the Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, this morning.
Deepak Sharma, 23 and Prince Sharma, 21, both sons of Saroj Bala were injured in firing by the militants on their house at Upper Dhangri on January 1 evening. Deepak had succumbed to injuries immediately after the attack while Prince was airlifted from Rajouri to Jammu and admitted in GMC Jammu in view of his critical condition.
Prince too died in the hospital this morning.
Click here to watch video
Saroj Bala, mother of Deepak and Prince escaped unhurt in the attack. Her husband Rajinder Sharma had died of cancer three years back.
Dheeraj Sharma, Sarpanch Upper Dhangri told the Excelsior on telephone that Deepak was posted in Army Ordnance and Prince in the PHE.
“Saroj Bala is now left alone in the family,” Sharma said.
Prince Sharma’s death has, meanwhile, taken death toll in the militant attacks in Dhangri village to seven. While four persons were killed and six others injured in the militant firing on January 1, two cousins were killed and nine other persons injured in a powerful Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in the village the next morning. The IED was planted by militants before fleeing.
A massive search operation is on to neutralise the militants behind the attack, officials said.
A pall of gloom descended on the terror-hit village Upper Dhangri as the body of the deceased reached his home in the afternoon with villagers led by Sarpanch Dheeraj Sharma demanding handing over the investigation of the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Hundreds of people gathered at the residence of the deceased to share the grief of Saroj Bala, who was inconsolable on seeing the body of her younger son.
Sharma said over a week has passed but the security agencies have failed to make any breakthrough and bring the culprits to book.
“The militants involved in the attack are still at large and roaming around. We are feeling insecure in our homes. The administration assured us that we will be provided weapons for self-defence within a week but it has not happened so far,” he said.
The Sarpanch said they have demanded a permanent Army camp in the village but authorities have assigned the task of guarding the village to CRPF personnel.
Expressing resentment against the administration, he also demanded a probe into the delay in shifting of the critically injured persons to GMC hospital Jammu.
“Prince Sharma was undergoing treatment at GMC Rajouri for three days before he was shifted to GMC Jammu. Why was he not taken to AIIMS Delhi or Northern Command-run hospital at Udhampur to save his life?” Sharma asked, adding the probe is a must to fix the responsibility.
“We have no faith in GMC Rajouri and GMC Jammu. We demand that all the critically injured patients be immediately shifted to modern hospitals in the country for their better treatment,” he said.
Meanwhile, emotional scenes were witnessed as a group of relatives of the slain civilians left for Haridwar to immerse the ashes of the deceased in the holy Ganges.
A private vehicle decked with flowers and carrying the pictures of the deceased left the village amid sobs and wails with thousands of people turned up to pay their homage to them.
Meanwhile, Prince Sharma was cremated this evening in the presence of thousands of mourning people.
The villagers had earlier refused to perform the last rites of the deceased until their demands, including the handing over of the case to the NIA were met.
However, the mortal remains of Sharma were consigned to flames later in the day on the assurance of Deputy Commissioner Rajouri Vikas Kundal who along with senior police officers visited the villagers and assured them that all their “genuine demands” would be fulfilled.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
