Over 50 people have been detained so far for questioning in connection with the attack on the minority community in Jammu and Kashmir’s Dangri village even as a massive search operation to track down the terrorists behind the strike continued on the ninth day on January 10, officials said.
Seven persons belonging to a minority community were killed and 14 others injured in the twin terror attack on January 1.
Also read: After Rajouri killings, CRPF to provide arms training to civilians in Jammu
Search operation continues in Rajouri
Following the attack, the administration strengthened Village Defence Guards (VDGs) comprising local volunteers and the border grid to keep a tight vigil on possible infiltration routes, the officials said.
They said police posters announcing a reward of ₹10 lakh to anyone giving credible information about the terrorists have also come up at various places in the district.
A joint cordon and search operation by the Army, police and CRPF is in progress at over two dozen villages where there were reports of terrorist presence before the attack, the officials said, adding special operational teams of Jammu and Kashmir police, moved from outside Rajouri, have also been deployed at designated locations.
“Anti-terrorist operation is going on at a massive scale to neutralise the terrorists involved in the Dangri attack. There are some vital leads and we are working on these to bring the culprits to book,” Senior Superintendent of Police Rajouri, Mohammad Aslam told PTI.
He said additional troops of the CRPF along with police were deployed in sensitive areas to strengthen vigil.
Officials said over 50 suspects have been detained so far during the ongoing operation and are being questioned for their alleged links with terrorists.
They said several vital leads have been found during questioning of the suspected persons and it was almost clear that the terrorists were present in the town before carrying out the attack.
Police have also deployed additional personnel at border posts as part of enhanced security near the Line of Control (LoC) to keep a close vigil on notorious infiltration routes, the officials said.
Meanwhile, as part of efforts to strengthen VDGs and sharpen their firing skills, the officials said the Indian Army held a special firing practice session for the volunteers in Mahadev Menka firing range in Sunderbani sector this morning.
Over 50 VDGs, drawn from different villages along the LoC, took part in the firing practice session which was held in coordination with local police, the officials said.
They said weapon handlers and shooting experts of the Army demonstrated proper use of weapons to VDGs who later practised firing.
Three families lose breadwinners
While five people died in the firing by terrorists, two children - aged four and 16 - lost their lives in an IED blast the next morning.
Among the dead were two young brothers, a father-son duo and an ex-serviceman, who were the only breadwinners of their families.
Saroj Bala (58) is shell shocked and the only survivor in the family after her two sons - Deepak Sharma (27) and Prince Sharma (21) - died in the attack. Her husband Rajinder Sharma had died of a serious ailment four years ago.
Pritam Lal (55) and his 31-year-old son Shishu Pal, who were working as labourers to earn their livelihood, were killed by terrorists inside their house
.“I was cooking dinner for the family when the terrorists started firing in the village. They asked for identity cards and pushed me and my minor children - a son and a daughter - into a store room before firing on them,” Shishu Pal’s widow Neeta Devi told PTI.
She said her father-in-law used to work as a labourer in the village, while her husband was working for a construction agency. Her mother-in-law had died some years ago.
“There is no one who can feed us,” she said, as tears streamed down her face.
Satish Kumar (45), who retired from the Army three and a half years ago, was returning home when he heard firing shots.
Kumar gave his life saving his family from the terrorists, his brother-in-law Chaman Sharma said.
“After his retirement from service, his primary focus was taking good care of his family and education of his children. He was a man with a golden heart and was always available in happiness and sorrow for everyone,” he said.
He said Kumar was fired upon by the terrorists while he was trying to block their entry into his house and in the process his wife Saroj (36), daughter Arushi (14) and son Shub Sharma (17) also received bullet injuries as they came out to see what is happening at the gate.
“Saroj received a bullet injury in her lower back, Arushi in her leg and Shub Sharma in his knee. Both Saroj and Arushi are undergoing treatment in Government Medical College (GMC) hospital Rajouri, while Shub is admitted to a hospital in Punjab,” Chaman Sharma said.
Dheeraj Sharma, a local sarpanch, demanded special attention of the government for the three families to help them cope up with the situation besides ensuring better education to the surviving children.
