Pranab to visit Doda, Uddhampur massacres sites tomorrow

New Delhi, May 8 (UNI) Defence Mininster Pranab Mukherjee will visit Doda and Udhampur, North-East of Jammu, tomorrow to commiserate with the families of the victims of the May 1 massacres.

In two seperate commnual terror strikes on May 1, Muslim militants had shot dead 35 people including a three- year- old girl in Doda and Udhampur districts near Jammu.

Twenty-two residents of the mountain hamlets of Kulhand and Tharva were shot dead outside their homes at night while 13 shepherds were shot dead near a high altitude meadow above Basantgarh town.

The Defence Minister, accompanied by Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt and senior army officials is first slated to reach Udhampur from the capital. At the army Northern Command head quarters he will be joned by J&K Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, official sources here said.

Mr Mukherjee will be briefed by army officials including Northern command GOC-in-C Lt Gen Deepak Kapoor about the current securitry situation in J&K.

The Defence Minister will then proceed to Tharva and Vasantgarh--the sites of the May 1 massacres-- to meet the families of the victims. He would then return to the capital via Jammu where he is slated to address a press conference.

UNI DG SB PM2250