Jammu: In a shocking act of terror, two Village Defence Guards (VDGs), Kuldeep Kumar and Nazir Ahmad, were abducted and killed by militants in the Chatroo area of Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir. The incident has sent shockwaves through the region, prompting a strong condemnation from Jammu and Kashmir’s Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah.
Abdullah, expressing deep grief and concern over the attack, condemned the act “unequivocally” and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. “Deeply saddened & concerned by the attack that resulted in the deaths of Kuldeep Kumar & Nazeer Ahmed Padder of Kuntwara in Kishtwar, members of the local village defence committee. The terrorists killed two innocent men who had taken their livestock to graze. I condemn this attack unequivocally & send my condolences to the families,” he tweeted.
Abdullah urged security forces to take immediate action to plug any gaps in the counter-terrorism grid. He called for swift and decisive action to prevent such attacks from recurring and restore peace and security in the region. “At the same time I expect the security forces to move quickly to plug any gaps in our counter-terror grid & ensure that attacks like this stop completely,” he added.
The VDGs, who were known to the local community, had gone to graze their cattle in the Munzla Dhar forest when they were abducted and killed. The Kashmir Tigers militant outfit, an offshoot of the Jaish-e-Mohammad, claimed responsibility for the killings, releasing photographs of the victims with their eyes blindfolded.
“We have received information that my brother and Ahmad were abducted and killed by terrorists. They were Village Defence Guards (VDGs) and had gone to graze cattle,” Kumar’s brother Prithvi told PTI.
The killings have sparked outrage among the residents of Kishtwar, with the Sanatan Dharma Sabha announcing a complete shutdown of the district in protest. Local villagers confirmed that the militants had used the victims’ phones to share pictures of their execution. “There would be complete shutdown and no vehicular moment and no business establishment and no office would be allowed to function throughout Kishtwar in protest against the brutal killing of two VDG members at Kuntwara in Kishtwar,” Sanatan Dharma Sabha was quoted as saying by Indian Express.
This is the second militant attack in Jammu province in the last nine days, following an incident on October 29 where Army troops neutralized three militants who had attacked an ambulance.
Before village residents approached the police, militants released the photographs of the two VDGs with a statement that they were killed.
