Militants gun down 15 policemen in J-K

Militants gun down 15 policemen in J-K
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

RAJOURI, MARCH 2: Just a day after militants ambushed an Army convoy in Anantnag killing a colonel and two soldiers in Anantnag, they struck again, this time in the border district of Rajouri, killing 15 policemen and their two civilian assistants.

No group has claimed responsibilty so far but police suspect Lashkar to be behind the attack -- the worst massacre of policemen in the 12 years of militancy -- which occurred at Kotli, 14 km from Manjakote in Rajouri.

The massacre, which has shaken the entire district administration, is the second incident in the same area during the last 10 days. Earlier, another police vehicle had been ambushed but there were no casualties that time.

Sources said the policemen were on their way back from Gambhir village where they had gone to investigate last night's killing of two local residents: Abdul Majid, an employee of the Public Health Engineering Department, and Bashir, reported to be the son of a newly elected panch of the Gambhir Mughlan panchayat.

Sources said that the militants had suspected that these two were behind the killing of one of their accomplices in a police encounter at Moorian 10 days ago. The bodies of both the villagers were recovered by their relatives from the nearby forest this morning.

The police party, led by Sub Inspector Raj Kumar, had driven to the village along with two medical assistants. The team included 10 policemen from the reserve police, eight from the Special Operation Group and six from the Manjakote police station.

As the policemen reached the village, they found angry residents with Bashir's body. The policemen, after completing the necessary legal formalities, were on their way back towards Manjakote.

However, hardly had they reached Kotli when militants ambushed their vehicle and opened fire. They killed the driver, Subash Chander, and deflated the vehicle's tyres.

Six policemen, including Sub Inspector Raj Kumar, jumped out of the vehicle and a 30-minute encounter ensued. Raj Kumar said that the militants used rocket-launchers and grenade-throwers to hit the vehicle.

Sources, however, said that as the Sub Inspector along with five policemen escaped, militants encircled the vehicle which had 15 policemen and the two medical assistants inside. As they set the vehicle ablaze, most of the policemen jumped out and tried to run for cover. Except three, all were shot dead.

Pointing out that four who could not come out of the vehicle were torched inside, sources said bodies of 11 policemen were lying nearby. Additional reinforcements were sent from Rajouri immediately after the news came in but by that time the militants had fled. The police have so far recovered 16 bodies.

Six of those who got injured included Sub Inspector Raj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, head constable Mohammad Hanief, Mohammad Rashid and Mohammad Shabir, all constables and police lensman Tara Chand. All of them are in hospital, the condition of two is serious.

Sources said the injured had to trudge for 10 km until they got a lift in a truck to reach the district hospital in Rajouri.

However, their suffering did not end even when they reached the hospital as the operation theatre was locked and the staff had gone home. Local residents had to break open the locks. While the doctor was performing a surgery on one of the injured, the power supply went off and the rest of the operation was done by candlelight.