Angry residents and relatives took to the streets with the bodies of the four men killed in a targeted attack at Dhangri in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K)’s Rajouri on Sunday, demanding the safety of the minorities.
The protesters blamed security forces and intelligence agencies for failing in checking terrorism in the region and the transfer of deputy magistrate Vikas Kundal and senior police superintendent Mohammad Aslam.
Deepak Kumar, 23, Satish Kumar, 45, Pritam Lal, 56, and Shiv Pal, 32, were killed and six others injured when unidentified armed men in a suspected terror attack indiscriminately fired on them.
Sanatan Dharam Sabha and other Hindu organisations such as Vishva Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have called for a bandh to protest against the killings. The Bharatiya Janata Party has supported the call.
Rajesh Kumar, a local resident, said they will not cremate the bodies unless lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha visits Dhangri, announces adequate compensation, and jobs for the kin of four besides assuring them of a safe and secure environment without fear.
Additional director general of police Mukesh Singh said three houses separated by a distance of around 50 metres were fired upon in Dhangri and left the four dead. He added a search operation was launched in the area.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers came in a car and fired indiscriminately before fleeing from the spot.
The attack came days after at least four armed terrorists were killed inside a truck during an exchange of fire with security forces at Sidhra near Jammu on December 28 amid a high alert in the region ahead of Republic Day.
On December 16, two civilians were shot dead and a third was injured in firing near the gate of an army camp in Rajouri.
A police officer said the residents alleged 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.