NEW DELHI, MARCH 21: Home Minister L K advani on Tuesday described as "grim tragedy" the massacre of 35 Sikhs by militants in Jammu and Kashmir saying there appeared to be a 'deliberate design' to 'cleanse' the valley of all minorities. It was not a random kind of killing but there was a "deliberate design" behind it, he told reporters here. "Till now, the militants had targeted the Hindu community and had tried to see that the Kashmir valley is cleansed of this particular community. Now the objective seems to be to see that the Sikh also begin the process of migration," he said. The home Minister said the design of the militants must be recognised and that the government was conscious of it. Two ministers have been deputed to visit the spot, he said, adding the Governor and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah, who were in the capital, would also be rushing there. Abdullah discussed the security situation in J&K with Advani. In a telephonic conversation, the two discussed security measures to be taken after the carnage in the Jammu region as the incident could have its repercussions, official sources said. A home ministry team accompanied by urban employment minister S S Dhindsa will be visiting the affected area, the sources said. They will be accompanied by state police chief Gurbachan Jagat and legislative council vice-chairman Harbans Singh from Jammu. The Chief Minister, accompanied by his Punjab counterpart Prakash Singh Badal, will also visit the area after attending the lunch hosted by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in honour of United States President Bill Clinton. A high-level meeting is also scheduled to be held in Jammu, the winter capital of the state, with a view to tighten the security in the city following reports of heightened tension. Meanwhile, the sources said, a state-sponsored bandh was likely to be observed in J&K on Wednesday to mourn the latest killings.President K R Narayanan condemned the massacre and expressed hope that it would open the world's eyes to the 'sordidness' of terrorism. He described the massacre as "yet another vile example of cross-border terrorism". In a statement here, Narayanan said, "even as I extend my sympathy to the next of kin of those killed, let me express the hope that this latest instance will open the world's eyes to the sordidness of terrorism which does not mind spilling innocent blood in order to coerce civil society and make an impact on the world." The killing of 35 Sikhs on Monday night is the biggest and third major massacre in the state since the return of popular rule under Farooq Abdullah in 1996. After the Abdullah ministry assumed power in October 1996, seven Kashmiri Pandits fell prey to militants' bullets at Sangrampura in Budgam district of central Kashmir on March 20, 1997. This was followed by a massacre of 25 Kashmiri Pandits at Wandhama in the periphery of Srinagar city and the home constituency of Abdullah on the intervening night of January 25 and 26, 1998. In this carnage, even infants were not spared by the militants. Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah had announced certain steps for the security of the minority community which eventually turned out to be inadequate as militants turned the heat on the community based in the hills of Doda, Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region. An entire marriage party was wiped out by militants in Prankote district of Jammu region. The latest incident, which is the first of its kind in Anantnag district, comes close on the heels of the killing of three Kashmiri Pandits on February five and gunning down of five Hindu truck drivers in the same district.
