HELD JAMMU: At least 24 civilians, including a child, were killed here on Saturday in an attack on a shanty town by suspected militants disguised as Hindu holy men, police said.
They said the gunmen opened fire in a crowded slum area of Jammu, before fleeing. "At least 24 people have been killed and 20 have been wounded," a police official told Reuters. The army has launched a manhunt, he added.
According to police, Rohit Kansal, a magistrate in charge of administration in Jammu, alleged that the militants, disguised as Hindu holy men, attacked the Qasim Nagar slum area on the outskirts of Jammu. Most of the victims were women and children, he said and warned that the death toll could increase because more injured and dead bodies were coming from the area.
Police and witnesses said that between three and five attackers entered Qasim Nagar dressed in the robes of Sadhus (holy men) and carrying bags. They then put down the bags, pulled out guns and opened fire indiscriminately, police at the scene said. The attackers then ran to two small temples nearby, where they again took position and began firing on civilians, they added.
A police officer said most of the people were killed as they watched a television broadcast of a tense final cricket match between India and England in London. Jammu Deputy Inspector of Police Dilbagh Singh said the militants later escaped from the temples into a nearby forest, where police and soldiers were late on Saturday attempting to flush them out.
People began running from the temples in panic after hearing the gunfire, said witness Vicky Malhotra. Four civilians died on the spot and the rest succumbed to injuries after being rushed to Government Medical College Hospital.
Officials had asked residents to switch off all the lights in the locality to limit the casualties. Most of the residents were fleeing the area. Three slain civilians were seen lying inside the temple complex and commandos with bullet-proof jackets were retrieving the bodies.
About Qasim Nagar, a police official said: "It's a cluster of slum dwellings and those dwellers do have a criminal record. The area has been cordoned off," the official said. The Indian government did not immediately react to the attack, but the assault was almost certain to sharply raise tensions with Pakistan - blamed by New Delhi for most of the terrorist strikes in India. "Although no group has claimed responsibility, the Lashkar-e-Taiba is suspected," Ashok Suri, the Jammu-Kashmir state police chief, told AP. "The purpose of this attack was to terrorise the people."
Meanwhile, shops and businesses were closed in Srinagar in response to a strike call given by All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC). The APHC called the strike to mark the anniversary of July 13, 1931, when the police in Srinagar shot dead dozens of demonstrators protesting against the Hindu ruler of Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Hurriyat pays glowing tributes to martyrs of 1931 and thousands of others laid down their lives in Kashmir's freedom struggle," an APHC statement said. Shops, schools, banks and post offices were all shut and most traffic was off the streets in Srinagar, a city of one million people. "The strike was to commemorate those who laid their lives for the freedom of Kashmir in 1931 ... and to remember all those who have sacrificed their lives for Kashmir's freedom since 1931. On this day, we pledge to take the ongoing freedom struggle to its logical end," the APHC statement said.
In a separate statement, the Lashkar-e-Taiba group has warned of severe action against anyone in held Kashmir who joins the army. "The Lashkar-e-Taiba warns Kashmiris against joining the army. Those who have joined are requested to come back or face severe action," a statement of Lashkar-e-Taiba, issued to newspaper offices in Srinagar, said. "Lashkar urges other militant groups to forge unity and fight Indian security forces," the statement added.
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