Tales of valour

Rukhsana from Rajouri district recently shot to fame for having killed a militant. There
are several other civilians in the region who have fought militancy but their bravery
has not been highlighted, reports Ashutosh Sharma from Jammu

AFTER having killed a dreaded militant and injuring another, a small girl, Rukhsana, belonging to a remote village, Kalsi, near the famous shrine of Shahdara Shahrief in Rajouri district, has shot to fame and is being acclaimed as a mascot of civilian war against terrorism. Her bravery has duly been recognised by the government and security forces. Several awards, citations and applauds have fallen into her kitty.

But there are several others in the same district who gunned down terrorists when insurgency was at its peak. They are not as lucky as Rukhsana, and after slaying militants, all they have got is momentary recognition. Today, they are compelled to live a life of fear, penury and betrayal at the hands of the civil administration and the armed forces.

With an aim to creating a fear psychosis among the people, those were the days when the terrorists were making selective killings and setting ablaze the houses of minorities in the region. It followed panic migration. Most of the internally displaced people are living a miserable life away from their homes.

The chilly night of December 31, 1999, never gets over in the psyche of Chain Singh. In a small village, Dagal Halal, a family was sitting around a chullah cooking dinner. Suddenly, Chain Singh spotted a group of dreaded terrorists heading towards his house. He confronted them with a 303 rifle, and then opened fire. What followed was a fierce volley of bullets from the militants.

While his son was away, his elder daughter Bindu started assisting her father in the gunfight. The encounter continued for five hours all through the night. While the militants were lobbing grenades and spraying bullets with the most sophisticated weapons, the father and his brave daughter retaliated with a simple vintage gun. One terrorist was killed, forcing the others to flee. Village defence committee members came to his rescue before the security forces could reach the spot.

The dead terrorist was identified as a foreign mercenary, and the security forces recovered one AK-47 riffle, two magazines, 40 rounds of ammunition and one wireless set. Another militant shot at by his daughter was found dead at some distance the next day.

Says Chain Singh: "We had to leave the village in the wake of threats from militants. I and my family migrated to Sunder Bani town. Away from our fields, survival of my family comprising 10 members was a challenge."

Singh, who is an employee of the Public Health Engineering Department, says: "We lived in a temporary shelter for many years after migrating to Sunder Bani. My daughters cleaned utensils at homes of people, and are still doing menial jobs for earning a livelihood. During all these years in exile, the government did not give us even 5 kg of ration as relief. However, the Army rewarded my daughter with Rs 5,000. After I married off one of my daughters in the same village, her home was attacked thrice, and now her family is settled in Himachal Pradesh."

Balwant Singh, who heads the VDC in Tatta Pani village in Kalakote tehsil, as villagers say, is feared by the terrorists. Officially, he has gunned down three dreaded militants, but he claims he has shot five. The lean man — sporting a turban, thick beard and moustaches — has an iron will. He always has a smile on his face and finds it adventurous killing militants.

He first encountered a group of five militants hiding in bushes. The year was 2004. He does not recall the month. The militants were unaware of his presence. He challenged them, and opened fire with his 303 riffle, killing two on the spot and injuring others, making them flee the spot.

An year later, while he was roaming with the gun hung across his shoulder and a wireless set in the hand, he heard a message on the wireless set. A Punjabi-speaking Pakistani militant was on the line. He spoke to him normally and gave him the impression as if he was also a militant. The militant had lost track in the forest and had no option but to believe him. The militant approached Balwant for help, but was shot dead by the latter.

"I have assisted the security forces many a time and killed militants, but the officials concerned got the killings registered in their names," he maintains, and adds: In the first case, I got Rs 15,000 as cash reward, and in the second I got Rs 50,000."Balwant has now taken to driving. He runs a tempo service on the Kalakote-Rajouri road.

But despite his hard efforts, he has failed to sustain the educational expenses of his sons — Ravi Singh (19) and Sanjay Singh (13). Both of them are school dropouts and have studied up to the eighth standard only.

While Ravi is a labourer, his younger brother Sanjay works stays at home, doing household chores and farming. His life took a U-turn one day. He says: "I was implicated in a case and remained behind the bars for seven months in Tangri Central Jail, Rajouri, and the case is still going on. The police retrieved its automatic weapon and wireless set after that. Now, the department has again issued a 303 rifle to me after I requested for security," says Balwant." During my free time I keep wandering in the dense forests looking for militants," he says with a broad smile on his face.

Another VDC member, Madan Lal (55) of Bagla in Kalakote tehsil, is a worried man. He killed a militant when a group of heavily armed militants was coming to his house. He is now facing threats from militant outfits. He recalls: "It was June 3,2003, and the time was 12.45 pm. I spotted four men — two coming towards my house, while the other two were heading towards the house adjacent to mine. I fired with my 303 riffle, and shot one militant there. Then the entire village reverberated with gunshots for several hours."

He kept militants engaged single-handedly till the security forces came to his rescue. The militants fled, and the security forces camped at the village to thwart any further attempt on his family.

The security forces have now been withdrawn from the village. "After great efforts, the administration has now deputed some cops. They are camping in my home. Like other villagers, I do not charge anything from the security forces as they are for our safety, but we want the Army in the village as militants do have a large presence in the area," he adds."

I fired in self-defence as I perceived a threat to me and my family. Without giving any second thought, I fired at the militant, and he died. It was not an act of heroism in any way. It was a do or die situation, and I did what I felt most appropriate in the given circumstances," says Balwant. The police gave him Rs 25,000 as cash reward for killing the militant and recruited one of his sons.

He is constantly afraid of threats being given to him by dreaded militant organisations like the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami. While serving the Indian Army he killed scores of militants, and even after retirement he does the same. Presently, Special Police Officer (SPO) Ram Prasad (45) of Doda district claims to have gunned down more than 100 militants till now. Though he got scores of certificates acknowledging his bravery, he had to migrate along with family.

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