Heavily armed militants raided a village in Udhampur district of J&K in the wee hours killing five Hindus and leaving nine others including three small girls injured, just two days ahead of Independence Day.
The militants stormed the village defence committee (VDC) post of Shajroo village in Udhampur district some time after 2100 hrs on Friday night, police said on Saturday.
The VDC members tried to fight back but could not contain the heavy fire and took shelter in their homes. The ultras then barged into their houses, gunning down five persons and leaving nine injured.
Two VDC members Sabaz Ram and Ishar Dass and three teenagers Narinder Singh, Charan Singh and Balwant Singh were killed while three girls aged 2-7, two women and four men were injured in the attack, police said. Deputy Inspector General (Udhampur-Doda) had flown to the village to take stock of the situation.
A police party along with a medical team had also rushed to the village on Saturday morning, and the injured were being flown in by helicopter to Jammu for specialised treatment at Government Medical College hospital, they said.
No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but security agencies believe it to be the handiwork of Lashker-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad or Hizbul Mujahideen which are active in the area.
{{/usCountry}}No militant outfit has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but security agencies believe it to be the handiwork of Lashker-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad or Hizbul Mujahideen which are active in the area.
{{/usCountry}}The attack came amid stepped up security for Independence Day celebrations throughout Jammu and Kashmir.