NEW DELHI, Mar 8: The three civilians including a 14-year old child, who went missing from the terrorist-infested Kathua district in Jammu and Kashmir three days ago, have been found dead. Their bodies have been located in a water body near Lohai Malhar village by the security forces using drones for mapping the area.
The locals have said the three civilians disappeared around 8:30 p.m on Thursday. They had left home to attend a wedding in the Billawar area. The wedding party was travelling from Dehota village of Billawar to Surag village in Lohai Malhar.
The missing individuals were identified as 35-year-old Jogesh Singh from Marhoon village, 40-year-old Darshan Singh from Dehota village, and 14-year-old Baroon Singh also from Dehota village in Billawar Tehsil.
A massive search operation by the Army and police was launched to trace the missing people, one of whom contacted his family two days back, saying they had lost their way in the forest while coming back. Their bodies, however, were found through drones in a water body near Lohai Malhar area, the police sources said. The cause of their death would be known only after a post-mortem, they added.
The BJP spokesperson RS Pathania alleged a “cold blooded murder” by the terrorists. “Prima facie, the evidence suggests that this entire mass murder was perpetuated by militants. One thing I want to assure is that the perpetrators will not go unpunished. Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, terrorism is on its last leg,” he said.
BJP legislator Satesh Sharma had raised the issue in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Friday. “I want to inform the House about three missing civilians. We seek answers from the government,” he said. Sources said the area has a large presence of terrorists and has witnessed multiple terror attacks in the last two years. Last month, two civilians were also found dead in the same area.
(Manas Dasgupta)
