NEW DELHI, Jan 2: A five-year-old boy and a minor girl were killed and four others injured in a blast in Dangri village in Rajouri in Pir Panjal Valley in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.
The explosion occurred a day after the militants killed four civilians and injured six others. “A blast occurred near the house of victim of yesterday’s firing incident in Rajouri’s Upper Dangri village. Another suspected IED [improvised explosive device] was spotted, which is being cleared,” officials said. While the boy was killed in the IED explosion, the minor girl, who was critically injured in the blast, succumbed to her injuries later.
Meanwhile, a shutdown was observed in Rajouri. A strike call was issued by the Sanathan Dharm Sabha. It was supported by local political parties.
Initial reports suggest that the explosion took place around 9:45 a.m. outside the house of Rajendra Kumar, whose son Deepak Kumar was among the four people killed in the attack. An investigation has been started to establish the nature of blast. Initial investigations suspect use of explosives to trigger the blast.
The J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh and a government job to the next of kin of the deceased. “I strongly condemn the cowardly terror attack in Rajouri. I assure the people that those behind this despicable attack will not go unpunished. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families,” The Office of L-G of J&K tweeted. Mr. Sinha said that those injured would be given ₹1 lakh.
Meanwhile, a suspicious object, presumed to be an explosive device, was on Monday found near Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh. A bomb disposal squad was immediately dispatched to the spot, which is just a short distance from the helipad of Punjab and Haryana CM House. The Indian Army’s Western Command has also been looped in to investigate.
At around 4 to 4:30 pm, a tubewell operator spotted the live bombshell in the mango plantation near the helipad and residence of the Punjab Chief Minister. The area is a high-security one. Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar’s residence, the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Assembly are also close to the place where the bomb was found.
(Manas Dasgupta)