The recent terror attack in Dhangri village of Rajouri not only created a fear psychosis among the people, particularly the minority community, but also opened the wounds of the Bal Jarallan massacre that had taken place over two decades ago.

Bal Jarallan is a village 4 km ahead of Dhangri, the scene of deadly terrorist firing on January 1 and subsequent an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion the next morning which left a total of six civilians, including two kids, dead and several others injured.

The Bal Jarallan massacre had taken place on February 19, 1999 when terrorists had entered a marriage hall and sprayed bullets on the guests, killing seven and injuring an equal number of people.

Dalip Singh, a resident of Dhangri, said the latest incident had opened the old wounds and caused a scare among the local populace about the revival of terrorism in the border district. “A number of my close relatives had gone to attend the marriage ceremony. We came to know about the incident only when the victims were being evacuated to hospital while passing in front of our houses as that was not an era of mobile phones,” he said.

Besides Bal Jarallan, the other major terror attacks targeting minorities in Rajouri include killing of seven persons in Swari village in 1997, five persons in Kotedhara in 1998, three in Nirojal in 2002, five in Patrara in 2003 and five others in Panglar in 2005.

“Now this attack in Dhangri village of Rajouri has not only given a fresh wound but also created a wave of terror among the minority community,” he said.

Sanjay Kumar said the Dhangri incident signalled the revival of terror activities in the district after it was declared free of terrorism many years ago.

Rajouri SSP Mohammad Aslam had assured that the terrorists involved in the Dhangri incident would be neutralised soon. “A massive exercise is underway to strengthen the Village Defence Committees in the district for which special camps are going on in different villages. We are examining and servicing the weapons while hundreds of VDC members have also been provided with ammunition,” the officer said. He said the process of deploying the additional troops in sensitive areas and notorious infiltration routes was also in progress.

Meanwhile, authorities distributed weapons among Village Defence Committee (VDC) members in a village in Rajouri district. Rajouri Deputy Commissioner Vikas Kundal visited Bal Jarallan to inspect the allotment of guns and cartridges to the members to bolster the security of the area. The weapons and ammunition are being provided by police authorities, the official said. — PTI

Weapons given to VDC volunteers

• Authorities on Saturday distributed weapons among Village Defence Committees in Bal Jarallan village in Rajouri district.
• The village had seen a terror attack on February 19, 1999, resulting in the killing of seven persons at a marriage ceremony.

Cong, RSS members meet victims’ kin

• Members of the local Congress as well as the RSS visited Dhangri village to meet the kin of the recent terror attack victims.
• The Congress criticised the government’s normalcy claim while the RSS sought a probe into disarming of village defence panels.

Courtesy: The Tribune India : 7th Jan , 2023