Three days after 20-year-old Rukhsana killed a militant, she and her younger brother Aijaz Ahmed left for Delhi under police protection on the invitation of a television news channel. Rukhsana’s family, however, refused to go home in Upper Shahdra Sharief, about 30 km from Rajouri.

“Apprehending retaliation by militants, the family does not want to go home, especially until the standing maize crop in the area is harvested,” said SSP, Rajouri, Shafqat Watali.

After Rukhsana axed to death a Lashkar commander and injured his accomplice, a police picket was set up at their house. Besides, three police and para military pickets already exist near their house. “Under the present situation, we have few options. Either the family agrees to stay in the village and we provide them round the clock protection, or we arrange for their stay at a place of their choice. However, Rukhsana’s family is not interested in moving out of Rajouri district,” said Watali.

Rukhsana’s father Noor Hussain and uncle Waqalat Hussain were injured in the militant attack and are undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Rajouri.

While some of the family members are staying in a special room arranged by the police in the hospital, the others are putting up at Shahdra Sharief police post. During the day, they go to their houses under police protection to give fodder and water to their cattle and return to the police post before sunset.

“Our houses are located at an isolated place. Next time in case of militants strike, we may not be lucky,” said Rukhsana’s mother Rashida Begum, adding that para military personnel from a nearby picket reached there next morning. “After finding none of us at home, they reached the police post looking for the weapons snatched by us from the militants,” she said.