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Three Pandits gunned down in Kashmir despite police guards

Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar

Three Kashmiri Pandits, including an eight year old girl were killed and two others, including a head constable, were wounded when militants attacked the heavily guarded homes of Kashmiri Hindus at village Telwani in the southern Anantnag district late yesterday.

The six families of Telwani continued to stay in their village even as a majority of the Kashmiri Pandits migrated to Jammu and other states following the eruption of insurgency in Kashmir.

The deputy inspector general of police, Anantnag Pulwama range told rediff.com that a group of militants carrying automatic weapons fired indiscriminately on the houses of the Pandits in the village, killing two persons, Anshu Raina (8) and Veerji Raina on the spot. The police guards deployed for the security of the Pandits, he said, effectively returned the fire and engaged the militants. In the exchange of fire Bashir Ahmad, a head constable of the Jammu and Kashmir police and two Pandits, identified as constable Ashok Kumar Raina and Jaideep Kumar, were injured. Ashok and Jaideep were shifted to Srinagar in critical condition by the police and admitted in the SMHS and Bone and Joint hospitals.

However, this morning Ashok Kumar Raina, father of Anshu, succumbed to his injuries.

"The militants' attempt to enter the homes of the Pandits was foiled by the police," said DIG Raja Aijaz Ali who himself rushed to the spot this morning. He said in all, six families were living in the village, 65 km from Srinagar in south Kashmir. The Anantnag district police chief, Farooq Khan, who rushed to Telwani late in the night escaped an attempt on his life en route. His heavily escorted motorcade was also attacked at Barrackpora and Gopalpora by militants.

However, Khan's security guards returned the fire. He then reached the village along with reinforcements and massive searches were ordered. Sources said the security forces are still engaged in search operations. The village was very tense today, sources said, and more police guards have been deployed in the village for the security of the Pandits.

After the Wandhama massacre on January 26, in which 23 Pandits including children were gunned down, the state government provided security to all the Pandits living at various places across the Valley.

The homes of Pandits in the villages are guarded by police guards. Only few thousand Pandits, mostly villagers, stayed back in Kashmir and have been living with their neighbours.

Meanwhile, the situation was reviewed in Srinagar at a high-level meeting and sources said the police guards around the villages where the Pandits are living are being further strengthened.

In the south Kashmir village of Nusu Kulgam, militants dragged a father and his son out of their home and opened fire on them. Both Dil Ganaei and his son Farooq Ahmad died on the spot.

Meanwhile, life was paralysed in view of a general strike in Kashmir today. Though no separatist group had called the strike, coinciding with 'Kashmir Day' being observed in Pakistan, shops and business establishments remained closed. Skeletal traffic was, however, plying on the roads. The strike also closed state government offices and banks.

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