x

Like our Facebook Page

   
Early Times Newspaper Jammu, Leading Newspaper Jammu
 
Breaking News :   Use your wisdom, experience to cultivate life skills, critical thinking: LG Sinha to teachers | Extends Eid-e-Milad greetings | Flood-hit Jammu schools gear up for reopening after safety checks | Schools in Rajouri to reopen for staff | Efforts on to reopen Jmu-Sgr highway: Div Com Kumar | Day 4: Highway remains shut, Mughal Road reopens | Day 11: Pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi remains suspended | Flood-hit Pargwal reels under devastation | ‘Operation Sindoor’ drew a red line on cross-border terrorism: CDS General Chauhan | Visits Gorakhnath temple | 2 arrested for selling rotten meat in Ganderbal | Another Threat | Floods in Jammu Province – A Tale of Pain, Loss, and Hope | Teachers’ Day and the Need for Fair Recognition | Oh God, we are to Blame! | Maharaja Hari Singh Foundation extends helping hand to flash flood victims in Jammu | Dr Alka Sharma conferred with State Best Teacher Award 2025 | Khatana Slams Omar Government over flood mismanagement | Sadhotra slams double engine government for deceiving J&K on flood mitigation measures | 323 houses damaged, 88 families shifted to safer locations in Mahore: SDM | HC quashes FIR registered to harass, calls it abuse of law | DC Reasi orders termination of 4 temporary RDD officials for corrupt practices | Sakeena Itoo holds massive Public Darbar | Rattan Lal Gupta visits landslide-hit Panchayat Bali in Udhampur | Air Vice Marshal visits IAF station in Leh; meets LG, GoC | Air Vice Marshal visits IAF station in Leh; meets LG, GoC | Andrabi lays carpet inside Sanctum at Hazratbalon Milad eve | MLA Bahu Ch Vikram Randhawa visits Nanak Nagar to assess rainfall damage | Sakeena Itoo extends greetings to teaching community on Teachers Day | TR Gupta Trust distributes relief to flood victims | Cluster University Srinagar postpones September 6 exams | AI Express Delhi-Indore Flight Suffers Engine Fault, Pilot Makes Emergency Call; Plane Lands Safely | President Murmu honours 45 teachers with National Teacher Awards | J&K Judicial Academy organises workshop | Rakesh Mahajan chairs inaugural BJP Yuva Morcha meeting, plans key upcoming events | KVK Bandipora holds farmer awareness programme at Pazalpora | Teachers day celebrated | GST reforms will empower traders, farmers & MSMEs": SBSP's Vivek Bali | Indian Army conducts lecture on physical fitness in Khanetar in Rajouri | Transport Secretary visits I&CC, ARTO office at Samba, stresses on adhering to project timelines | Flag off ceremony of Surya Quest Motorcycle Expedition from Dehradun | IIM Jammu Rises to 35th Position in NIRF 2025 | Ganesh Utsav at Akhnoor | GDC Sidhra students observe Teachers’ Day | IWC Jammu Sampark visited Louis Braille school for sightless girls | Roti, Kapda aur Makan the firepower India's common man got as Diwali gift: Rohiin Chandan | Shri Bhupender Gupta takes over as Chairman, Managing Director, NHPC | Bhartiya Lok Sangeet Kala Sansthan celebrates “Happy Teachers Day 2025” | BJP professional cell J&K hails 56th GST council recommendations | Bhupender Gupta, CMD, SJVN assumes charge as Chairman, Managing Director of NHPC | JKBOSE issues Revised Date sheets for Biannual/Private Exams | Air Vice Marshal Vikas Sharma, visit AF Station Leh | Sawan Nagpal completes Ironman Tallinn, Estonia – proudly represents J&K on Global Stage | Molineux, Wareham return as Australia name 15-member squad for Women’s World Cup | Inaugural IGPL tour from September 10 Yuvraj compares its impact to IPL | India thrash Thailand 11-0 in women’s Asia Cup hockey campaign-opener | National football team defender Sandesh Jhingan undergoes surgery for cheekbone fracture | KKFI celebrates selection of 24 Kho Kho athletes | Narayan Sewa Sansthan Jammu branch distributes essential items to flood affected people | Batting down the order, I take it as a challenge: Tanush Kotian | Back Issues  
 
news details
J-K: Grieving for loved ones, survivors of terror attacks come out to vote
5/25/2024 11:31:44 PM
Early Times Report
RAJOURI, May 25: "My sons accompanied me last time (2019) to vote. Today they are not with me," says 51-year-old Bala, the pain of losing her two children in a terrorist attack last year writ large on her face.
Bala's sons - Deepak Sharma (24) and Prince Sharma (21) - were among seven civilians killed when terrorists struck their village on January 1, 2023, opening indiscriminate fire on the members of the minority community before fleeing the scene. They also left behind an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which went off the next morning.
Like Bala, many survivors of the terrorist attack queued up on Saturday in this remote Dhangri village to vote in the election to the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat which saw a record 53 per cent turnout, the highest in 40 years.
"I am deeply pained as my sons are not with me," Bala, a widow, told PTI after casting her vote at the polling station set up at the local government higher secondary school. She said she left behind her pain to exercise the fundamental right as a tribute to the victims of the terror attack. Besides the two brothers, Pritam Lal (57) and his son Shishu Pal Sharma (32) and army ex-serviceman Satish Kumar (45) lost their lives in the firing, while two children Samiksha Sharma (13) and her cousin Vihaan Sharma (4) died in the IED explosion.
A couple of Pakistani terrorists including the mastermind of the attack were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in May and November, last year in Rajouri hills. Two terror associates were also arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the attack.
"Voting is everyone's fundamental duty and every citizen of the country should fulfil it," Bala said.
The grieving mother, however, said she was unhappy with the investigation and wanted all the culprits behind the conspiracy to be brought to book. Viewed as the deadliest attack on civilians in more than a decade, the incident still haunts the locals, especially the families who lost their kin.
Bal Krishan Sharma, a village defence guard member whose alertness and retaliation forced the terrorists to flee, preventing more casualties, said the village is still mourning the death of seven innocent persons.
"Our vote is for strengthening democracy," he said.
Dheeraj Sharma, former village Sarpanch, said the villagers by turning out in large numbers to cast their vote have conveyed a message that they will not be defeated by such cowardly attacks.
Other survivors of the terror attack also came to the polling station immediately after the voting commenced this morning to exercise their franchise. But many were reluctant to talk.
"Dhangri is now synonymous with a tragedy that can never be wiped from the minds of the residents. Still, the people from all households of the village voted...," Sharma said.
In the Kandi belt of Rajouri's Kotranka subdivision where five army commandos lost their lives in an encounter with terrorists on May 5, long queues were seen outside polling stations in the area declared as hypersensitive.
A specially trained Quick Reaction Team (QRT) of police assisted by CRPF remained stationed at Kandi Khadyoon to boost the confidence of the people.
"People in large numbers exercised their franchise without any fear," Kala Khan, a resident said, thanking authorities for making elaborate arrangements for peaceful voting.
  Share This News with Your Friends on Social Network  
  Comment on this Story  
 
 
 
Early Times Android App
STOCK UPDATE
  
BSE Sensex
NSE Nifty
 
CRICKET UPDATE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
Home About Us Top Stories Local News National News Sports News Opinion Editorial ET Cetra Advertise with Us ET E-paper
 
 
J&K RELATED WEBSITES
J&K Govt. Official website
Jammu Kashmir Tourism
JKTDC
Mata Vaishnodevi Shrine Board
Shri Amarnath Ji Shrine Board
Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board
UTILITY
Train Enquiry
IRCTC
Matavaishnodevi
BSNL
Jammu Kashmir Bank
State Bank of India
PUBLIC INTEREST
Passport Department
Income Tax Department
JK CAMPA
JK GAD
IT Education
Web Site Design Services
EDUCATION
Jammu University
Jammu University Results
JKBOSE
Kashmir University
IGNOU Jammu Center
SMVDU