Jammu: The last of the killings had been reported in 2004; now, after more than two decades, terror has returned to Kiyar village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. The recovery of bullet-riddled bodies of two special police officers (SPOs) on Thursday has rekindled memories of past attacks and renewed fear among locals.
The affected families are demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the killings, accountability for alleged security lapses and immediate strengthening of security arrangements in the area to neutralise the terror threat.
Locals say at least 10 people from the village — located in the remote Dachhan tehsil — lost their lives in the killings between 2000 and 2004.
The latest killings have reopened wounds dating back to August 2000, when eight residents of Kiyar village were gunned down by terrorists, followed by two more murders in 2004.
SPOs Babi Chand (57) and Rashpal Kumar (45), both residents of Kiyar village, were found dead in the Dachhan forest early Thursday, a day after they went missing.
The two SPOs were on their way to a security post at Basnand in adjoining Marwah tehsil when they were allegedly killed between Deharna and Kiyar villages, at an altitude of nearly 8,860 feet.
Their service weapons — an INSAS rifle and a .303 rifle — along with magazines and ammunition were found missing and are suspected to have been taken away by the attackers.
Empty cartridges of Pakistan-origin armour-piercing ammunition were recovered from the scene, adding to security concerns.
Kiyar is a predominantly Hindu hamlet at an average elevation of 9,460 feet, where even mobile network is very poor.
Deharna, situated at an elevation of 6,560 to 7,220 feet, is about 14 km from the Marwah tehsil headquarters and 30-50 km from Kishtwar town. The region lacks direct all-weather road connectivity, making access difficult, particularly during adverse weather conditions.
For Ramesh Kumar, brother of slain SPO Babi Chand, the latest killings are not isolated incidents but part of a painful history of violence that, he believes, was never properly investigated.
“One (of the victims) was my brother, the other was my nephew. We have lost loved ones, but nobody is listening to us. Two of our people were assigned duty in a far-flung area. We believe something is amiss. Why were they assigned duty outside their jurisdiction when security posts already exist in that area?” Kumar said.
He said the killings have left the families without a sense of security or justice. He demanded a CBI investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the latest killings, as well as the previous attacks.
Questioning the security grid, Kumar claimed that the number of security personnel and posts in the area has drastically declined over the years. He said while around 45 security posts had been set up in the region following the August 2000 massacre, only four personnel were presently guarding their hamlet, leaving the population vulnerable.
Pawan Kumar, grandson of Ramesh Kumar, also called for an urgent review of the security deployment in Dachhan and adjoining areas.
“Why were our men sent away from here when security posts already exist in Marwah? This is Dachhan, and the security of our villages should have been the priority. We want Lt Governor Manoj Sinha to intervene and order a CBI probe into the killings. A thorough investigation is necessary to establish what happened and why,” he said.
Apart from seeking a CBI investigation, the bereaved families expressed anguish over what they described as negligence by senior police officials following the killings.
They claimed that no senior officer has visited them and the victims have not been accorded due honour.
They urged the Lt Governor to intervene and ensure restoration of security infrastructure, adequate deployment of personnel, effective intelligence gathering and regular security reviews to prevent further attacks on vulnerable villages.
Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, who camped in the village, attended the last rites of the deceased along with senior BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Sunil Sharma and Kishtwar MLA Shagun Parihar, on Friday evening.
The deputy commissioner has assured the bereaved families of all possible assistance.
He said cases for compassionate appointment of eligible dependent family members under the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Assistance Scheme, along with compensation admissible under applicable rules, would be taken up and processed, based on recommendations from police and competent authorities.
He also assured villagers that issues relating to road connectivity, mobile network coverage and other developmental requirements of Kiyar would be assessed by the concerned departments and taken up on priority.
BJP MLA Shagun Parihar raised concerns over the security situation, claiming threats had been issued to the deceased.
She questioned the pattern of selective killings and called for a thorough investigation into the incident, besides action against those providing support to terrorists.
