A civilian, the brother of a Territorial Army personnel, working in the Social Welfare Department was shot dead in cold blood by ‘unidentified’ terrorists while he was returning home after offering prayers in the village Kunda Top of Thanamandi area in the Rajouri district late Monday night.

The incident spread a fresh wave of terror in the otherwise peaceful area of Rajouri in the run-up to the third phase of polling scheduled to take place on May 7.

Jammu and Kashmir police identified the government employee targeted by the terrorists as 40-year-old Mohd Razaq., an employee of the Social Welfare department.  The Territorial Army jawan, however, escaped unhurt.

Initial ground reports and eyewitness accounts of family members indicated the unidentified terrorists were looking for army personnel. When they could not track him down they targeted his brother, who was returning home after offering prayers in the nearby mosque before fleeing the area.

The security personnel deployed in the area immediately rushed to the spot after learning about the firing incident and cordoned off the entire area.  A joint team of security personnel launched a massive search operation late Monday night and the same continued on Tuesday to track down the footprints of the terrorists still active in the area. Till Tuesday evening, no contact was established with the terrorists possibly hiding in the thickly forested area.

The targeted killing took place four months after four soldiers were ‘killed in action’ and three others received injuries when their vehicles were ambushed by a group of highly trained foreign terrorists in the Dera Ki Gali area of Poonch on December 21, 2023.

A criminal case has been registered in FIR No 48 under sections 302 (murder), 120 B, 121 A,122, 458 (lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night after preparation for hurt, assault, or wrongful restraint), the Arms Act, and sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) at the Thanamandi Police Station.