25 killed in militant attack in Doda

      Srinagar: At least 25 people have been killed and five others injured in terrorist attacks in the remote villages of Panjdobi and Thava in Jammu's Doda district. The condition of three of the injured admitted to hospital is said to be serious, according to doctors. Condemning the attacks, Minister of State for Home, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, said that such attacks would affect the ongoing dialogue for peace and normalcy between India and Pakistan. No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. According to reports, the terrorists first lined the people, most of them Hindus, up and then shot them at close range. Security forces have cordoned off the area and a search operation has been launched for the attackers. Yesterday, the militants killed four Hindus hours after their abduction from Udhampur district of the State, official sources said. Militants abducted nine Hindus and two Muslims - from two separate places in Basantgarh belt of Udhampur district in the afternoon. The Muslims were released but they killed four Hindus of the nine. Five of them were missing, said District Inspector-General, Doda, Udhampur range, L Mohanty.

Sonia shocked over Doda, Vadodara killings

      New Delhi: UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today condemned the brutal killing of 22 innocent people by militants in Doda in Jammu and Kashmir. Expressing shock over the incident, she said: "These killings are being perpetrated by militant outfits and their sponsors to disturb communal harmony and derail the dialogue process in Jammu and Kashmir". Sonia also expressed pain over the killing of the two persons in Vadodara in Gujarat following the demolitions of an old dargah by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. She appealed the people to maintain peace and harmony and urged the people to forbid from anything that would escalate the situation.

Mufti condemns Doda massacre

      Srinagar: Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mufti Mohammad Sayeed has condemned the killing of 22 people by militants in Doda today. The Mufti said that the militants were trying to disrupt the peace process between India and Pakistan and the ongoing talks between the Kashmiri separatist leaders and Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. "The way in which 22 people have been killed in Doda today and the other militants attacks shows that militants are trying to disrupt the peace process and the ongoing dialogue between the two countries. I strongly condemn this killing," said Mufti Mohammed Sayeed. Mufti said that the militants should acknowledge the fact that people of Jammu and Kashmir want a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem through a democratic process. "Militant organisations should acknowledge the change in the mindset of the people. They should take note of this situation and they should understand that people want resolution of this problem. I don't say that everything is OK, but people want resolution it through a democratic process," Sayeed added. Militants struck the Hindu-dominated remote mountainous villages in Doda district, some 170 kilometres northeast of Jammu today morning, killing 22 people. The massacre, one of the biggest in recent months, took place just days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to hold talks with Kashmiri separatists in New Delhi and later travel to the valley for a "round table" conference with the Kashmiris.

ACHR condemns massacre in Doda villages

       New Delhi: Condemning the massacre of twenty-two Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district, the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) termed it as an "attempt to undermine democratic and peace processes". The ACHR said that the "barbaric and senseless killing" of at least 22 Hindus at Panjdobi and Thava villages in Kulhan area of the Doda district last night was a "crimes against humanity". "The killing of the innocent civilians is barbaric and is an attempt to undermine democratic processes such as recent holding of elections and forthcoming talks between the Prime Minister of India and the leaders of the Hurriyat Conference in New Delhi," said a release of the ACHR. "The massacre is an attempt to destroy efforts to create a climate in which human rights and fundamental freedoms are more likely to be respected," said Suhas Chakma, Director of ACHR. Though no armed opposition group has claimed the responsibility so far, ACHR urged the armed opposition groups to refrain from targeting innocent civilians and respect the Geneva Conventions. Stating that the killings of the innocent civilians by the armed opposition groups across India have intensified in 2006, ACHR further urged the Centre to take appropriate measures to provide security to the civilians and bring the culprits to justice.

Doda survivors in Jammu hospitals

      Jammu: Survivors of the militant attack on two villages of Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district were brought to hospitals in Jammu on Monday. Five persons, among nine injured in the attack, were in critical condition, doctors said. The survivors said the attackers were wearing Pathan Suit, which is generally worn by Muslim men, and appeared to be Kashmiri. Rajendra Kumar Sharma, one of the survivors, said the rebels holed them inside the village chief's house and opened fire. "They (militants) took us out of homes and told us to assemble at the village chief's house. Then they went outside and when they came back, they opened fire indiscriminately. We were about 20-22 men in that house," Sharma said. However, no militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The massacre, one of the biggest in recent months, took place just days before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to hold talks with Kashmiri separatists in New Delhi and later travels to the valley for a "roundtable" conference with Kashmiri leaders. Militant violence has increased in Kashmir in recent weeks with the onset of summer when snow melts in the region's mountain passes, allowing easier movement of militants. However, overall violence in the region has fallen due to a peace process between Islamabad and New Delhi, which began in 2004. The talks are being seen as an icebreaker ahead of Singh's "roundtable" with Kashmiri leaders in Srinagar.

Major terrorist attacks in Kashmir since 2000

      Srinagar: The following are the major terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir since 2000: 2006: May 1: Militants gun down 22 Hindus in remote villages of Panjdobi and Thava in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. 2004: April 5: Seven persons killed in Pahalgam area of Anantnag district. 2003: Mar 4: 24 Kashmiri pundits killed by militants in Nadimarg village near Shopian in Pulwama district. 2002: Nov 24: 14 persons killed and 53 injured when militants attacked the historic Raghunath temple in Jammu. Aug 29: Ten Hindus killed in Rajouri and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Aug 6: Nine Amarnath pilgrims killed and 32 wounded when militants attacked a base camp at Nunwan near Pahalgam. July 13: 28 Hindus gunned down in Qasim Nagar area of Jammu and Kashmir. May 14: 33 persons, including women and children, were killed when militants opened indiscriminate fire on a bus and stormed an Army camp on the Jammu-Pathankote Highway. Feb 17: Eight Hindus gunned down in Rajouri district. Jan 7: 17 Hindus killed in Ramsoo area of Jammu district. 2001: Aug 4: 15 Hindus gunned down in Shrotidar village in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir. July 22: 15 Hindus killed in Cheergi and Tagood villages in Doda district of Jammu. July 21: 13 people, including seven Amarnath pilgrims, killed at Sheshnag in Anantnag. Mar 17: eight people massacred near Atholi in Doda district. Feb 11: 15 members of nomad (Gujjar) families massacred in Kot- Chadwal in Rajouri district. Feb 3: Six Sikhs gunned down in Mahjoornagar in Srinagar 2000: Aug 2: 11 Hindus killed in Doda district of Jammu. Aug 2: Seven members of a family killed in Kupwara district of North Kashmir. Aug 1: 27 labourers gunned down in Qazigund and Achabal I Anantnag district. Aug 1: 31 people, including Amarnath Yatris, killed in Pahalgam in Anantnag. Mar 20: 35 Sikhs killed in Chattisinghpura village near Jammu. Feb 28: Five Hindu drivers killed near Qazigund in Anantnag district.

Back to Headlines                  Go To Top