Militants kill VDC member's father, 2 daughters in Jammu

Jammu, Mar 7 (UNI) Three people including the father and two daughters of a Village Defence Committee (VDC) member, were killed when militants triggered a grenade blast in his house in Arnas area of Jammu and Kashmir's remote Reasi district, police today said.

At around 1945 hrs yesterday, VDC member Mushtaq Ahmed communicated to police on wireless that an unidentified militant had lobbed a grenade on his house at remote Soni Top in Handar village of Arnas. The member informed that all the members of his family were injured in the blast.

As soon as police party reached to the spot three critically wounded, including Mushtaq Ahmed's father Habibullah and two daughters Nageena, 13 and Nazia, 9, had succumbed.

Meanwhile, Mushtaq Ahmed, his wife Rafia, mother Toto Begum, daughter Zila Bano, 17 and son Ghulam Mohammad who received serious splinter injuries were shifted to Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, SSP Reasi J L Sharma told UNI.

''Police and BSF troops have launched searches to trace the militants'' Mr Sharma said.

Immediately after the explosion, all local VDC members rushed for the rescue of their injured colleague and started making efforts to provide to the victims first aid and shifted them to nearby hospital.

At least two dozen locals have been allotted weapons and inducted in the VDC in Soni Top, sources said.

UNI VJ PJ RAI1203