‘We are all rattled’: Civilians on edge as militants sneak deeper into Jammu’s remote terrain

Just like every day, on June 9, 49-year-old Amarjeet Sharma of Kathua district in Jammu returned home from his shop late in the evening.

Sharma’s house is on the edge of Mela village – among the last habitations before a forested area begins.

“After changing his clothes, he went towards the forest to relieve himself and also check on our cattle,” recalled his wife Manju Sharma. “This was his habit for the last 40 years.”

But that night, Sharma did not return. “After 15 minutes or so, I called his phone three times but he didn’t answer,” recalled Manju. “After that, we started looking for him with the help of our neighbours.”

Some 200 metres from his home, towards the forest, the villagers and his family members saw Sharma lying prone on the ground. “We initially thought he must have fainted, but when we turned his body towards us, there was a long gash on his neck,” Manju said. “His throat had been slit.”

Sharma ran a chemist shop in the village and was locally popular as ‘doctor’. “He didn’t have any animosity with anyone,” said Manju, who has two children.

While Kathua police registered a murder case against unknown persons in Hiranagar police station, that was not enough to assuage the...

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