A day after a person died and three others injured in a liquor shop attack by militants in Baramulla, protests rocked Sunderbani of Rajouri district wherefrom the deceased hailed. Residents of Bakhar village and the family of Ranjit Singh, victim, placed his body on the main road to block it.

In a tweet, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha vowed to punish the perpetrators of the attack. Ranjit (52) worked at the liquor shop where terrorists lobbed a grenade. Tyres were also burnt on the road. Later, police officials reached the spot and tried pacifying the protesters.

The road in Sunderbani remained blocked for hours as the villagers demanded a “fair” compensation for kin of the deceased. Villagers said proper compensation and a government job was given to the family of Rahul Bhat, a Kashmiri Pandit killed in Budgam, but the government gave only Rs 1 lakh to the family of Ranjit Singh.

Among the protesters was Roshan Lal, 47, who said the J&K government had failed to protect non-Kashmiris living in the Valley. “Terrorists are killing people from Jammu and elsewhere at their own will and the J&K administration has failed to ensure safety of such people,” said Lal. He said the government shouldn’t run away from its responsibility of taking care of the children of Ranjit.

The protesters are demanding Rs 25 lakh ex gratia and a government job for the family.

Meanwhile, Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Vikas Kundal, accompanied by Rajouri-Poonch Range’s DIG Vivek Gupta and SSP Mohammad Aslam, met the family of Ranjit Singh and expressed solidarity with them.

Kundal had also visited the protest site. He handed over ex gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh to the family members.

Three others injured in the attack were Goverdan Singh and Ravi Kumar from Kathua and Govind Singh from Rajouri.

Political parties condemn attack

• The PDP and the People’s Conference condoled the loss of life of Sunderbani resident.
• Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has said the perpetrators of the Baramulla attack will be punished.
• A burqa-clad terrorist had hurled grenade in a liquor shop near Dewan Bagh, Baramulla.

Courtesy: The Tribune India :18th May , 2022