Nab attackers or we’ll migrate, return aid: Dhangri victims’ kin

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, March 27

Almost three months after the killing of seven persons, including two minors, by terrorists at Dhangri village of Rajouri, families of victims have said they would resign from government jobs, migrate to safer places and return financial assistance as the police have failed to identify the accused.

Two militants, reportedly Pakistanis, opened indiscriminate fire on January 1 at Dhangri, killing five persons and injuring 14. Two minors died on the morning of January 2 after an IED exploded in the area that had witnessed attack a day before.

Dheeraj Sharma, Dhangri sarpanch, said DGP Dilbag Singh recently stated that the two terrorists who attacked the village were Pakistanis. “It is unfortunate that just a few days after the incident, the police were claiming that 80 per cent of the case has been solved,” said Sharma.

“Families of the victims believe that the terrorists were provided information about targets by their local supporters. The police have not been able to nab any local aide of these terrorists but have simply shirked from their responsibility by claiming that the militants were Pakistani,” said Sharma while interacting with media.

Saroj Bala, mother of two youths — Deepak and Prince — who died in the attack, said, “Local supporters of the terrorists are roaming freely. I don’t need any money from the government. I want the real culprits arrested. I don’t believe the terrorists were Pakistanis. It is the failure of the police.”

DGP Dilbag Singh had on March 23 said, “There have been some incidents of infiltration in Rajouri and Poonch. These are the same people who entered this side of the border and killed innocent people in Dhangri. Even though the infiltration has decreased, we are trying to eliminate it completely.”

The National Investigation Agency was handed over the case. Locals alleged the police did not investigate the people where the two terrorists stayed and had food. The two suspected militants were sighted in different areas after the attack.

Sushil Kumar, father of Vihan, a minor who was killed in the IED attack, said, “We do not need compensation but only justice that has not been provided yet.”