Braving extremely cold weather conditions a large number of teary-eyed local residents Tuesday marched on foot along with the kin of deceased families to pay their last respects to victims of terror killed in cold blood by the 'unidentified' terrorists in upper Dhangri village of frontier Rajouri district.
Four civilians were killed by the terrorists late Sunday evening while two children lost their lives in a powerful IED blast Monday morning.
Before shifting the mortal remains to the cremation ground a solemn ceremony was organised inside the premises of a Government Higher secondary school where close relatives, senior police, civil authorities and leaders belonging to the different political parties offered flower tributes and laid decorated wreaths on behalf of senior army officers.
The bodies of four-year-old Vihan Sharma, 16-year-old Samiksha Sharma, Satish Kumar (45), Deepak Kumar (23), Pritam Lal (57) and Shishu Pal (32) were cremated in six pyres lined up at Dhangri cremation ground.
Emotions ran high among the mourners gathered at the cremation ground when the last rites were being performed. Gulshan Kumar,a close relative of Pritam Lal said he had witnessed a similar massacre in February 1999 and had attended the mass cremation ceremony. "Today again I attended the mass cremation ceremony with a heavy heart". He said the terror attack has destroyed several families and changed the course of normal life in the village. "Things will never be the same again. The villagers are living under the shadow of fear. They are ready to fight back but they need weapons to ensure their own defence", he added. The UT administration must empower the local village defence group and provide automatic weapons and training to youth in order to counter the terror threat.
Meanwhile, a team of senior officers of the National Investigation Agency Tuesday visited the houses of families where terrorists had barged in and opened indiscriminate firing. The NIA officers interacted with the families briefly to learn more about the terror attack. The investigation is yet to be handed over to the NIA. On the other hand, Rajouri police have announced Rs 10 lakh award to anyone who shares specific information regarding the terrorists involved in the gruesome attacks.
Across Jammu region several processions and candle light marches were taken out to pay tribute to the victims of terror. A peaceful band was observed in Kishtwar. In Jammu, PM package Kashmiri pandit employees also took out a candle march and highlighted the plight of the common masses facing the brunt of terrorism. Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, late evening visited the residences of families and handed over ex-gratia relief sanctioned by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.