Month after Rajouri attack: Villagers threaten indefinite fast if militants not tracked down in 15 days

Saroj had earlier threatened to go on an indefinite fast from Monday, but agreed to change her decision following a meeting of prominent people from the village and nearby areas, which was convened by Dangri Sarpanch Dheeraj Sharma, on Sunday.

“The villagers decided to give 15 days time to the government as going on fast at present will divert attention of the administration and security agencies, who are trying to track down the militants,” said Sharma. “After 15 days, we will chalk out our action plan collectively.”

Speaking to reporters earlier in the week, Saroj had said: “One month has passed since the attack but the terrorists are still at large while the families of the victims are waiting for justice.”

Recalling that both her sons were killed before their dinner, she said, “After February 5, if there was no information about the killers, I will also stop eating. The government has paid compensation and also given job letters to five people. But what will I do with the money or the job? I have no one left to feed.’’

Bal Krishan, a village defence guard who had used his .303 rifle to fire at the militants, forcing them to flee, said he would join families of other victims to sit on a dharna. “A month has passed and there has been no information about the killers. This has led to fear among the villagers. We are scared to move out of our houses alone in the evening,” he said.

On the evening of January 1, the militants had gone on a killing spree in Upper Dangri, targeting at least four homes – four people were killed and six others were injured. The following morning, two minors were killed and 10 were injured in an explosion caused by an IED planted by the militants at the house of one of the victims. A few days later, one of the villagers injured in the January 1 attack succumbed to injuries, raising the death toll in the two attacks to seven.

According to a senior police officer, the last known location of the militants was Narla village in Taryath tehsil of Kalakote sub division, 35-40 km by road from Dangri. The militants had reportedly visited two families on January 14-15, asking for food.

Following the tip-off, senior police officers reached the village the same night along with reinforcements of police and forces of the Special Operation Group (SOG), and launched a cordon and search operation, but the militants could not be traced.

Local villagers said around the time the operation was in progress, the presence of the militants was reported from a nearby ward. They said that here, too, the militants had dinner and got food packed before leaving.

The Narla Bambal panchayat in Rajouri, where the militants were reportedly last seen, borders Reasi district, where the local villagers had last year apprehended two heavily armed militants, including Lakhar-e-Toiba commander Talib Hussain.

The senior police officer said they have not found any clue about the forward movement of the militants towards Reasi district. “Several cordon-and-search operations have been launched but there has been no clue about the militants,’’ he said, attributing the delay in neutralizing militants to “dense forests and very difficult hilly terrain’’.

Pointing out that more than 50 people have been rounded up for questioning, the officer said that the militants are most likely foreigners from Pakistan.