New Delhi: The government has deployed additional troops at Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu, where protests have continued in the aftermath of two militant attacks in Dhangri village that killed six civilians, two of whom are minors.
NDTV has reported that following an order by the Union home ministry, the Central Reserve Police Force will send additional 18 companies to Jammu and Kashmir. This means that approximately 1,800 policemen will be deployed, mainly in the two regions mentioned above. Ten of these companies will be rushed from Delhi while eight will be mobilised from nearby locations in the Union Territory.
An official source was quoted by Greater Kashmir as having said, “Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is closely monitoring the situation post recent civilian killings in Dangri village of Rajouri. Additional deployment is aimed at strengthening the security grid to make it fool-proof in perfect synergy with other forces working on ground including army and police. Senior CRPF officers, camping in Rajouri, are busy devising a deployment plan for these companies.”
The attacks took place on January 1 – when armed militants entered houses in the village and opened fire – and January 2, when a blast at one of the targeted houses killed two children. As many as 12 were injured in the attacks.
Economic Times has reported that transport has been scarce amidst a near-complete shutdown in Poonch and Rajouri districts. Amidst Jammu-wide protests, one in Kathua was led by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the report said. BJP is in power in the Union government, which has ruled the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir through a Lieutenant Governor since August, 2019.
Protests in Jammu also saw people blaming BJP for not calling a strike across the region, ET reported.
In Samba district, also in the Jammu division, curfew has been imposed at night (from 9 pm to 6 am) for up to one kilometre along the international border with Pakistan.
Meanwhile, PTI has reported that security forces launched a search operation after three motorcycle-borne persons jumped a police checkpoint and escaped to a forest area in Rajouri district on January 4. The militants believed to be responsible for the two attacks have not been apprehended yet.