Border Posts further strengthened
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 10: Over 50 people have been detained so far for questioning in connection with the attack on the minority community in Upper Dhangri village even as a massive search operation to track down the militants behind the strike continued on the ninth day today.
Seven persons were killed and 14 others injured in the militants attack on January 1.
Officials said police posters announcing a reward of Rs 10 lakh to anyone giving credible information about the militants responsible for Dhangri carnage 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 militant 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-terror operation is going on at a massive scale to neutralise the militant involved in the Dhangri attack. There are some vital leads and we are working on these to bring the culprits to book,” police said.
Officials said over 50 suspects have been detained so far during the ongoing operation and are being questioned for their alleged links with militants.
They said several vital leads have been found during questioning of the suspected persons and it was almost clear that the militants 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.
Several camps to train the VDGs are being held by Army, CRPF and police in Rajouri and Poonch districts.
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 in Sunderbani, the officials said.
They said weapon handlers and shooting experts of the Army demonstrated proper use of weapons to VDGs who later practised firing.
Meanwhile, the militants who swooped on Dhangri village and fired indiscriminately at local residents snatched three families of their breadwinners.
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 (23) and Prince Sharma (21) — died in the attack. Her husband Rajinder Sharma had died of a serious ailment four years ago.
Saroj Bala has urged the Government to take arrangements for her old age support. She also sought action against the doctors responsible for death of her younger son Prince Sharma.
Pritam Lal (55) and his 31-year-old son Shishu Pal, who were working as labourers to earn their livelihood, were killed by militants 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 said.
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 militants 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.
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