KATHUA: Days after three locals were found dead, two teenagers — Mohammad Din and Rehman Ali — have gone missing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, raising fresh concerns over the security situation.
Two teenagers have gone missing in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district, days after the bodies of three locals were found by security forces two days after they went missing, officials said on Monday. The missing teenagers, identified as Mohammad Din and Rehman Ali, were last seen in the Rajbagh area.
Authorities have registered a case and launched a search operation to locate them.
On March 5, three civilians Yogesh Singh, 32, Darshan Singh, 40, and Varun Singh, 15 went missing while traveling to a wedding in Lohai Malhar. Their bodies were discovered on March 8 in Ishu Nallah, intensifying security concerns in the region.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh had said the three civilians were killed by terrorists and asserted that there is a “deep conspiracy” to spoil the atmosphere in the area. The killings have sparked protests in the district.
“The brutal killing of 3 youth by terrorists in Bani area of district Kathua is extremely sad as well as a matter of great concern. There appears to be a deep conspiracy behind spoiling the atmosphere in this peaceful area,” the minister said on X.
“We have discussed this matter with the officials concerned. The Union Home Secretary himself is reaching Jammu so that the situation can be assessed on the spot. I am confident that it will be ensured that such incidents do not happen again and the confidence of the people remains strong,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah termed the killings as “barbaric”.
“Deeply shocked and saddened by the barbaric murder of three innocent civilians, including a minor boy, in Kathua. Such heinous acts have no place in our society and must be met with the strongest condemnation. My heartfelt condolences to the grieving families,” Abdullah said in a post on X.
A shutdown was observed in Billawar and adjoining areas on Sunday to protest the killing of the three civilians. Additionally, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has ordered a thorough probe into the killings.
