sThere were nine civilians including two children Killed in brutal acts of terrorism in Dangri, Rajouri, J&K In the first week of the new year. The police and administration in Srinagar and New Delhi are tight-lipped about these incidents. It is clear that the intention of the criminals was to spread maximum terror among the Hindus in the area. They entered houses on January 1 and fired indiscriminately. killing four civilians and injured 10 others. Within just 15 hours, an improvised explosive device detonated outside the home of one of the victims, killing two minors and injuring five others. The Jammu region has been relatively untouched by conflict in recent years, but recent events point to a return to a grim past. Rajouri had become peaceful, and the last major target of the Hindus was 16 years earlier. It has a long passable Line of Control with Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and remains an active route for terrorists to cross into the Kashmir Valley. In 2022, there were clear signs that the district was becoming a new theater of violence, with at least four grenade attacks and several encounters between security forces and terrorists. There have also been indications of local involvement.
Parties in Jammu and Kashmir unanimously condemned the attack on minorities and hit out at the Lieutenant Governor’s (LG)’s administration for failing to protect the citizens. LG Manoj Sinha has promised strong action to curb terrorism and meet the security needs of the region. There is a fresh demand to revive the Village Defense Committees, which were formed in 1995 to fight terrorists in remote areas in 10 districts of Jammu region where security presence was thin. These were disbanded following allegations of high-handedness by the Armed Volunteers. While the Center is eager to portray its strong policy in Kashmir that has made political talks a success, new trends in terrorism, including the frequent targeting of migrant workers in the Union Territory, serve as a grim reminder of the instability . least 29 civilians killed in Jammu and Kashmir in 2022Most of them are migrant workers or local Hindus. While the new experiment may yield different results in J&K, the old method of allowing multiple processes of engagement to address issues in a democratic manner may still work. In the absence of an elected government in J&K since 2018, even the mainstream in the region is drifting away from New Delhi. A sustained political process is not a sufficient guarantee against Pakistan-backed terrorism, but it is a necessary condition in any solution to the Kashmir conflict.