The Hindu : Seven killed in militant attack in Udhampur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 09, 2002

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Seven killed in militant attack in Udhampur

By Our Correspondent

JAMMU APRIL 8. Seven persons belonging to the minority community, including three children, were killed in an attack by terrorists at Dandli village of Udhampur district of Jammu region late on Sunday night. Five civilians were injured. The attack was specifically targeted at the families of Village Defence Committee members. The injured have been airlifted to the Government Medical College here.

One of the injured, Chain Singh, a VDC member, who has been admitted to the GMC told The Hindu that around 9 p.m. terrorists struck in groups of four at four different houses at Dandli. They opened fire indiscriminately and asked the VDC members to surrender their weapons and come out unarmed with their family members. The VDC members refused to give in and told the terrorists that they would rather fight till the last breath. On this, the militants stepped up firing and threw grenades at the houses. One of the grenades hit the house of Lal Dai (35). The house caught fire burning her to death. Then they went to the house of Sobha Ram and stabbed him to death.

At two other houses, the militants continued to open fire in which five civilians, including three children, Shrishto Devi (4), Shindo Devi (6) and Shomey Lal (10), were killed on the spot. Five were injured in the firing.

Around 21 houses were set on fire and the VDC members continued to battle the militants for nine hours till the first batch of the Special Operations Group arrived. Thereafter, the terrorists were engaged by the SOG personnel and, after some time, the militants fled. Around 7 a.m., police arrived at the scene and airlifted the injured to the hospital.

The Minister of State for Home, Khalid Suhrawardy and the DGP, A.K. Suri and the IGP, Jammu Zone, P.L. Gupta visited the area. Sources said that a manhunt had been launched.

Meanwhile, in an another incident at 2.10 p.m., a bomb exploded at a shop in the heart of Rajouri. Two persons were killed and ten were injured. Panic gripped the town and shopkeepers downed the shutters.

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