At least 22 Hindus were killed and five were injured, including women and children, by Lashkar-e-Taiba men in Kulhan area of Doda district late on Sunday night, reports reaching Jammu said.
According to reports, the terrorists pulled the victims out of their homes in the district, about 200 km north-east of Jammu, and showered them with bullets and also used sharp-edged weapons.
The police have confirmed the incident.
"We have sent parties to verify the details. The areas is hilly and far off, it will take a while to confirm the exact details," Deputy Inspector General of Police LD Mohanty said.
Mohanty said initial reports suggested the victims were Hindus.
These killings come close on the heels of the killings of four Hindu shepherds in Lallalan Galla, a mountainous pass in Udhampur district on Sunday. The fate of three other shepherds is still not known.
"We are on the job," Inspector General of Police SP Vaid said.
The killings of Hindus started in Jammu region in August 1993, when for the first time 16 Hindu bus passengers were segregated from others and shot dead near Kishtwar in Doda. This trend continued till late 2002. Thereafter, there were a few isolated incidents, till the back-to-back killings this weekend.
{{/usCountry}}The killings of Hindus started in Jammu region in August 1993, when for the first time 16 Hindu bus passengers were segregated from others and shot dead near Kishtwar in Doda. This trend continued till late 2002. Thereafter, there were a few isolated incidents, till the back-to-back killings this weekend.
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