Rajouri killings: Increased terrorist activity in Jammu region cause of concern

With the toll in the terrorist attack in Rajouri district’s Dangri village rising to six with the death of two children in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast on Monday, there is a cause for concern that the terrorists are again trying to increase their activity in the Jammu region of the state.

The IED blasts followed just over 12 hours after firing by terrorists who targeted Hindu homes in the village on New Year’s Day. Four people had died on Sunday in the firing and six were injured.

Though it was after a long time that such targeted killings were carried out in the Jammu region, there was already a threat perception.

Also read: J&K: Day after Rajouri attack, blast kills child, injures 4 in same village

Pakistan-based terrorists are targeting forward defence locations along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri sector to infiltrate into India, an intelligence report accessed by India Today revealed adding that a big infiltration bid is being prepared.

Increased terrorist activity

The Jammu region has witnessed three major militancy-related incidents in last one month beginning with the killing of two civilians in a firing incident near the gate of an army camp in Rajouri about two weeks back.

The locals had alleged that a sentry fired and called it a mistaken identity but the army denied the allegation. The army blamed “unidentified terrorists” for the deaths of Surinder Kumar, 40, and Kamal Kishore, 39. The government has announced an enquiry into the twin killings.

Just a week back, on December 28, four armed terrorists were killed inside a truck during an exchange of fire with forces at Sidhra near Jammu. Grenade blasts were also reported during the incident.

The encounter came two days after the police defused an IED weighing 15 kilograms in Jammu region’s Udhampur district. One coded sheet and one letter pad page of banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) were also recovered and a suspect was detained.

The terrorist attack in Rajouri on New Year’s Day was the latest in the region. It was different in the sense that it was a targeted attack.

Targeted killing

According to an India Today report quoting sources, two terrorists were involved in the attack. The incident took place at nearly 7 pm on Sunday, when terrorists made their way through the forests and barged into three houses of the Hindu community and opened fire at those residing inside.

Some media reports quoting residents said the militants came in an SUV (sports utility vehicle). Terrorists first confirmed the identity of the victims through their Aadhaar cards. The firing ended within 10 minutes, an official said, adding that at first the gunmen attacked a house in Upper Dangri and then they moved 25 metres away and shot several people there.

They also fired on another house 25 metres away from the second house while fleeing the village, he said. according to an official. The firing led to injuries to 10 people among which three were declared dead on arrival at the GMC Rajouri hospital. Another person succumbed to his injuries later at the hospital.

IED blasts

Following Sunday’s incident, the army, police and paramilitary forces launched a search operation to catch the perpetrators. However, early on Monday morning an IED went off outside the house of one of the victims of Sunday’s attack, killing two children while injuring three other children and two women.

Another suspected IED was defused by the forces. Another police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to Kashmir Life, said it appears the militants, who fired at three houses in Dangri before fleeing in their car on Sunday, planted the IEDs.

According to a Times of India report, there is fear that more IEDs could have been planted by the terrorists to inflict maximum collateral damage by targeting security forces that would move in after such a terrorist attack.

Anger against authorities

The killings triggered a spate of protests in the region. Apart from condemning the authorities for the security lapse and seeking compensation for the victims, the protesters also demanded the renewal of gun licenses in the area, the revival of Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and granting of guns to people who earlier had been entitled legally.

Chanting anti-police and anti-administration slogans, the locals alleged that Monday’s IED blast could have been prevented if the police had acted “proactively.”

Also read: Political parties condemn attack on minority villagers in Rajouri

DGP Dilbagh Singh, who rushed top Rajouri after the attack, had on December 10 said that “militancy in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is at an all-time low, with the Jammu region largely free of the menace due to the proactive approach of security forces and public collaboration.”

A number of attacks targeting the minorities were carried out in the Kashmir Valley in 2022 leading to many fatalities. In the Valley, terrorists mainly targeted Kashmiri Pandits and labourers from outside valley.

(With Agency inputs)