Locals in large numbers on Tuesday bade a tearful farewell to 6 people, including 2 minors, a day after terrorists took their lives in 2 separate incidents of attack in the Rajouri district of Jammu.

Hundreds of local residents came out to see the last rites in the morning in presence of Director General of Police, Dilbag Singh, additional DGP Mukesh Singh and Divisional Commissioner Ramesh Kumar in the Dangri village where the gruesome incident took place.

Before the last rites, the locals residents took out a procession and raised slogans against Pakistan, who they said, masterminded these killings. They urged Prime Minister, Narendra Modi to conduct Balakot type airstrikes at terror camps in Pakistan and POJK.

Men and women, also from neighbouring villages, joined the gathering at the cremation ground to convey their sympathies to the bereaved families. This was for the first time, the village was witnessing pyres of terror victims.

Meanwhile, a team of NIA reached Dangri to investigate the killings. The J&K Police have announced reward of Rs.10 lakh for anyone sharing specific information regarding the terrorists involved in the gruesome attack. Details of the informer shall be kept secret. The district police, Rajouri, has given phone numbers on which the information can be shared.

In a bid to check infiltration of terrorists, Samba’s district magistrate Anuradha Gupta has imposed night curfew on 1 km strip along the international border with Pakistan for a period of 2 months with immediate effect. The curfew will remain operational between 9 pm to 6 am.

The order reads that; “the BSF authorities during the meeting of District level standing committee on Border Security, took up the issue of imposition of night curfew in the border area, in a strip of 01 Km from the International border from 9 pm to 6 am daily, enabling them to perform their duties more effectively; and Whereas, to ensure smooth functioning as well as better domination of border”.

Any person found violating the order shall be dealt with, in accordance with law. Residents of Dangri pointed out that one of the victims, 23-year-old Deepak Kumar, who was killed in terror attack on Sunday, was about to join the Indian Army’s ordnance depot. He worked hard and was qualified for the job. He was supposed to join the ordnance department in 2 days.

He was preparing to take the meal. They verified his name through Aadhaar card and then resorted to indiscriminate firing, said Ranjeet Tara, a resident of Dangri.

This was the first house that became the target of the terrorists, he said, adding that he was the first to visit the house after the attack to ferry the injured to the hospital. The food is still on plates. Blood stains have dried. The terrorists targeted the minority community in Rajouri to force their migration, Tara said while showing the bullets still lying in the house.

On Sunday at around 7 pm, two terrorists appeared in a house in Devi Mohalla of Dangri and resorted to firing in which two brothers got injured. Later, one of the injured, Deepak Kumar, succumbed to his injuries.

The terrorists then moved to another house located around 200 metres away and again resorted to firing, in which Pritam Sharma and his son were killed, they said. Continuing their attacks, the terrorists then moved towards a house located around 300 metres away and fired in which ex-serviceman Satish Kumar died while his wife, a daughter, a son, a brother and a neighbour got injured.

As the terrorists were going from one house to another targeting minority community, a villager defence committee member Bal Krishan came out with a gun and started firing in the open. The terrorists, presuming that the firing was done by security forces, fled from the scene.

Army and paramilitary forces and J&K Police have now been deployed in the Hindu dominated villages in Rajouri and Poonch.