Jammu: The Minister of the Union, Jitendra Singh, condemned on Sunday the murder of three members of an extended family in Jammu and the Kathua district of Kashmir, calling him a terrorist attack aimed at destabilizing the peace of the region.
Darshan Singh, 40, Yogesh Singh, 32, and Varun Singh, 15, disappeared on March 5 while returning from a wedding in Marhoon Village. Their bodies were discovered on Saturday near a waterfall on the edge of an escarp in a wooded area after an extensive search that involves the army, the police, drones and tracker dogs.
The “brutal murder” of three relatives “for terrorists in the Bani area of Kathua is extremely sad, as well as a great concern,” said Singh. “We have discussed this matter with officials. The Secretary of the Interior of the Union is arriving in Jammu to evaluate the situation. “
Initially, the police had ruled out a terrorist strike, saying that the cause of death would be determined after autopsies. However, the authorities have not yet revealed the results or deliver the bodies to the families of the victims.
Lieutenant governor Bojoj Sinha ordered investigation into deaths. “I offer my deepest condolences to their families and friends,” he said. “I assure people that perpetrators will be led to reserve as soon as possible.”
The murders caused protests in the nearby city of Billawer, where the premises observed a complete closure on Sunday. The protesters said Mla Bani Rameshwar Singh when she visited a hospital to meet the families of the victims. The security forces, including paramilitary personnel, have been deployed in the area.
If it is confirmed as a terrorist attack, it would mark the most fatal strike against civilians in the Jammu region since June 9, 2024, an ambush on a bus that transported pilgrims in the Readi district, which killed nine people and injured 41.
Jammu saw an increase in terrorist violence last year, particularly in the districts of Kathua, Poonch, Readi and Rajouri. The attacks have resumed after winter thaw, with security forces that report an increase in infiltration attempts.
Recent attacks include an IED explosion of February 11 near the LOC in Akhnoor that killed two soldiers, a shooting on February 8 to a military patrol in the Keri sector and a shooting on March 5 where a terrorist was killed and an injured civilian in Kathua.
The president of the PDP, Mehbooba Mufti, described the situation in Kathua as “deeply alarming” and warned that the elements inside and outside the borders of India could try to envive communal tensions in the sensitive region.
Safety forces are expected to remain on a maximum alert, since it is expected that the snow was melted in the mountainous region to facilitate infiltration attempts.
