M A I N   N E W S

Labourers flee homes
Victims cremated amid tight security
M.L. Kak
Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 14
With the help of the civil authorities, 27 persons, including 13 women and one child, who were killed in the terrorist strike in the Rajiv Nagar-Qasim Nagar locality yesterday night, were cremated at Jogi Ghat today.

The entire cremation ground was kept under a heavy security cover when the bodies were brought from the mortuary for mass cremation.

Labourers from the locality were present to perform the last rites and were inconsolable.

Those cremated included Gita Devi, Ram Das, Kundan, Kadi Devi, Subash, Chandni, Sunita, Jyoti, Nisha, Radhu, Sankhov, Deekus, Vijay, Ramesh, Dev Das, Santosh, Trado, Chanda, Sri Devi, Suneeta, Mahesh, Barsati, Rampu, Mousmi, Munna.

Several prominent citizens were also present when the bodies were consigned to the flames.

Meanwhile, a day after the gruesome incident, people in the locality were seen wailing for the dead while a number of labourers were moving to safer places.

According to Kaka Ram, an eyewitness to the carnage, more than three militants, in the guise of sadhus, sneaked into the locality near Qasim Nagar. One of them hurled a grenade, which was followed by indiscriminate firing.

Vicky Malhotra, another eyewitness, said a group of people praying in a temple in the locality were the first victims of the firing.

The rebels, equipped with assault rifles, showered bullets from a close range on women who were busy preparing supper and on those who had tuned in their transistor sets for listening to the commentary of the triangular series cricket final between India and England.

Before their guns fell silent, 23 persons had died on the spot. Two more succumbed to their injuries while being carried to hospital while two others died early this morning in Government Medical College.

According to doctors, of the 30 injured admitted to the hospital, the condition of five was still critical.

In a number of jhuggis, this correspondent found cooked food lying in pans as a majority of the people in the colony had not taken their supper. “We sweated in the day and my relations and friends bled in the night”, said Kaka Ram.

Several houses bore bullet marks and the temple, too, suffered damage. Those who survived the attack had collected scores of bullets to show to the police the way militants “rained” bullets on the colony dwellers.

More than 12 shanties wore a deserted look this morning as the inmates had left the area. Others were seen packing their belongings without knowing where to go.

A police officer said the militants, in the guise of hermits, had possibly planned to strike within the city, but changed their plan after they found that passengers and vehicles were being checked at a check-post near Qasim Nagar. Instead of walking to the city they entered Rajiv Nagar.

Last night, panic gripped the city with rumours that militants had struck in the posh Gandhi Nagar area. Later, it was found that the deafening sound of explosions was the firing of crackers by people after India won the triangular series.

The Governor, Mr G.C. Saxana, who visited the scene of the incident today, condemned what he called an “inhuman act” of militants. He said the world should condemn it and punish those who were aiding cross-border terrorism.

The Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, said unless the superpowers mounted pressure on Pakistan to stop aiding terrorists, such carnages would continue.

Senior leaders of the BJP, the Congress, the BSP, the PDP, the NC and the Panun Kashmir expressed anger and shock over the massacre. They wanted the state and the Central governments to take suitable measures to end the menace of militancy.

Leaders of several Sikh organisations, including the state Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the Akali Dal and the AISSF, expressed grief over the carnage. They appealed to the people to maintain communal amity and help the agencies engaged in counter-insurgency operations to achieve success in flushing out militants.

No rebel outfit has claimed responsibility for the massacre. The police suspects the hand of the Lashkar-i-Toiba. Meanwhile, Mr Omar Abdullah, President of the NC, visited the site and assured the people that security cover would be provided to them.