People lift dharna after LG’s assurance, bodies taken to Dhangri
* Families allowed to go home by cops without sanitisation of area
* NIA team reaches spot, security personnel search militants
* Act of cowardice, will hunt down ultras : DGP
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 2: Within hours of the killings of four civilians in a terror attack at Upper Dhangri in Rajouri last night, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), planted by same group of militants outside the house of one of the victims, went off this morning killing two cousins, both minor, and injuring nine others while large number of people blocked Rajouri-Kalakote road at Dhangri Chowk along with bodies of the terror victims demanding action against the administration, proper revival of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) with automatic guns and fixing responsibility for the incident.
Protest at Dhangri Chowk which started at 4 am ended after 14 hours following assurance by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, who rushed to the spot, that concerns of the people will be addressed. Click here to watch video
Following the LG’s assurance, protesters lifted their dharna at 6 pm and shifted bodies to Government Higher Secondary School (GHSS) Dhangri building. Cremation of the terror victims is scheduled for 10 am tomorrow at Dhangri. Post-mortem on all bodies has been conducted in the Government Medical College (GMC) Rajouri.
Eyewitnesses told the Excelsior that family members of terror victims at Upper Dhangri were allowed to return to their houses this morning by security forces and Rajouri police without sanitizing the area. As per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), the area had to be sanitized by the police and security personnel to ensure that the militants hadn’t planted IED or grenade before fleeing.
However, in a major negligence on part of Rajouri police, this exercise wasn’t undertaken leading to an IED explosion at 9.30 am outside the house of Susheel Kumar.
A four-year-old child Vihan son of Susheel Kumar was killed on spot while his cousin Sumiksha Devi, 16, daughter of Koushal Kumar, succumbed to the injuries at the GMC Rajouri. Both were nephew and niece of Deepak Kumar, who was killed in last night’s firing by the militants.
Nine civilians were injured in the blast.
GMC Rajouri Principal Dr Amarjit Singh Bhatia said all injured are responding to treatment in the hospital. He added that four bodies of terror victims were handed over to the civilians after post-mortem early today while two others were given this morning.
Two casualties in the IED blast took toll in terror attack at Upper Dhangri last evening to six.
Sources said the militants had planted IED outside the house beneath a bag before fleeing to cause casualties of police and security officers when they visit the spot for investigations. This tactic has been adopted by the militants earlier also. However, as police and security forces didn’t sanitise the area, the IED exploded leading to casualties.
A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) has reached the spot for investigations. However, probe in the incident hasn’t been handed over to the NIA so far but such a possibility isn’t ruled out.
The NIA team examined the spot along with experts and collected certain evidences.
Meanwhile, the IED blast at Upper Dhangri further infuriated the people who had blocked Rajouri-Kalakote road at Dhangri Chowk along with four bodies of civilians killed by the militants.
Protesters were demanding visit of the Lieutenant Governor to Rajouri, action against district administration for failure to protect lives of civilians, strengthening of VDCs, increasing their numbers and equipping them with automatic weapons and fixing responsibility of the incident.
Rajouri town and other areas of the district observed bandh in protest against the killings. Protests were held at various other places also denouncing the terror attack.
Addressing protesters, leaders of different political parties, social and religious organizations justified demands raised by the people.
Village Sarpanch (headman) Deepak Sharma said that it was a serious security lapse on the part of police and security agencies.
“It is a serious security lapse by security agencies. Minority community people do not feel secure. The administration should take tough measures,” he told reporters in Rajouri.
Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, who visited the site, said that the IED blast was intended to target senior officers who were about to reach there.
He announced that Village Defence Committees (VDCs) will now be revived and rearmed, after some protesting leaders and locals claimed that the incidents could have been averted had the authorities not taken away the weapons of VDCs.
“The IED was planted beneath a bag,” Additional Director General of Police, Jammu, Mukesh Singh told reporters in Rajouri.
The DGP met the protesters who were refusing to conduct the last rites of the victims till Lt Governor Manoj Sinha came to the spot.
The VDCs were first set up in the mid-1990s in parts of Rajouri to arm and train villagers to defend against Pakistan-sponsored militants and comprise villagers as well as Special Police Officers (SPOs).
The Army and police are conducting a massive search operation, the senior police officer, who reached the spot along with Jammu-Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar, said.
He said that locals have reported that two militants are involved in the attack.
DGP Dilbag Singh, who reached the attack site in Rajouri, said, “I came because it was more important to be in solidarity with the families. So instead of heading to Kashmir, I came straight away’.
At the protest site, the DGP said that the people of Rajouri have bravely fought terrorism in the past.
“I am sad over the killings. It is a matter of grief. It is time to give a boost to VDCs.
“No guns will be taken away…, if some guns have been taken away, they will be returned (to VDCs) and more guns will be provided if needed,” he said.
On Sunday’s attack, Singh said two terrorists fired on three houses in which four people were killed and six injured. The condition of the injured is stable, he said.
“Only a coward can attack an innocent unarmed person. They did this act of cowardice and are hiding now. We will hunt them down,” he said.
He appreciated the people of Rajouri for always standing by security forces in the battle against terrorists.
“They have fought no less than a soldier,” he said.
The DGP said that security will be reviewed and necessary measures will be put in place for the safety of the people.
Nine civilians injured in the IED blast and admitted in the GMC Rajouri include Kaniya Sharma, 11, son of Vipan Sharma, Kamlesh Devi, 48, wife of Gopal Dass, Sejal Sharma, 18, daughter of Koushal Sharma, Sharda Devi, 38, wife of Satnam Sharma, Angel Sharma, eight, daughter of Susheel Sharma, Sanvi Sharma, seven, daughter of Susheel Sharma, Vansh Bhargav, 15, son of Koushal Kumar, Santosh Sharma, 45, son of Saryog Sharma and Samiksha, 10, daughter of Raj Kumar.
Talib on radar, to be quizzed
Talib Hussain Shah, a top commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit and a resident of Rajouri, is on radar of security agencies following terror attack in Upper Dhangri area of Rajouri district as he had recruited some locals into the militancy before he was captured by local people and nabbed by the police at village Tuksan in Mahore tehsil of Reasi district on July 3 last year.
Talib might be quizzed by the NIA and Rajouri police for questioning in the terror attack, the officials said.
Security agencies are of the view that targeted killings are generally executed by the local militants as they are well versed with the area and can reach back to their hideout easily as compared to Pakistani militants. However, no possibility is being ruled out by the security personnel at this stage.
Army, CRPF and police continued searches in Upper Dhangri and surroundings but the militants remained untraced.
Eyewitnesses said the militants were carrying three AK rifles and one of them was very tall. They were supporting small beards.
“Nothing can be said at this stage whether the militants were locals are Pakistanis but things will be clear soon,” the police and security officials said.
It may be mentioned here that two militants had appeared from the forests and targeted three houses of minorities at Upper Dhangri at around 7 pm yesterday killing four civilians and injuring six others. They killed the civilians after checking their identity on Aadhaar cards.
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