Locals Stage Protest, Carry Bodies Of All 6 Civilians At Dangri Chowk

Rajouri: Two cousins, aged four and 16, were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in a village in Rajouri area on Monday, 14 hours after a firing incident in which four people including a father-son duo were killed and six others were injured.
The militants, locals claimed, had planted the IED on Sunday itself and it was missed during the scanning by police and security officials who had cordoned off the area after the shootings last evening.
Samiksha Sharma (16) and Vihan Kumar Sharma (4) were killed and six others injured in the blast in Dangri village near the house of Pritam Lal, a victim of the Sunday attack, locals said. There were several people, including Lal’s relatives, in the house when the blast took place at around 9.30 am. Six persons were killed and 12 injured in the two incidents.
Village Sarpanch (headman) Deepak Kumar said that it was a serious security lapse on the part of police and security agencies.
“It is a serious security lapse by security agencies. Minority community people do not feel secure. The administration should take tough measures,” he told reporters in Rajouri.
“A blast occurred near the house of the victim of yesterday’s firing incident in Rajouri’s Upper Dangri village,” ADGP Mukesh Singh said, adding, “One child has succumbed to injuries. Five persons injured, one critical. Another suspected IED was spotted which is being cleared.” Later the girl was injured, taking the toll to 2.
Late last evening, four people were killed in the village and they have been identified as Pritam Sharma (56) and his 33-year-old son Ashish Kumar, Deepak Kumar (23), a PHE employee, and Sheetal Kumar (48).
Six persons were injured in the attack and among them two, Rohit Pandit (35) and Shubam Sharma (20) son of Pritam Sharma, were airlifted to the GMC Jammu. Four injured were admitted in the GMC Rajouri and include Pawan Kumar (38), Saroj Bala (35) wife of Sheetal Kumar, Sushil Kumar (40) son of Kundal Lal and Urishi Sharma (17) daughter of Sheetal Kumar.
Protesters carried the bodies of those killed in two attacks in a procession and kept them at Dangri Chowk, refusing to conduct the last rites. They were demanding that the Lieutenant Governor should meet them and it seems that the locals will perform last rites. (With PTI and GNS Inputs)

KR Desk