J&K: Teli Katha Massacre: 12 innocent civilians killed by terrorists in Poonch on 26 June 2004

On the night of 26 June 2004, tragedy struck the remote village of Teli Katha in Surankote, Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, when a group of heavily armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists carried out a brutal attack.

 

 

The terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on villagers while they were asleep in their dhok (temporary shelters). 12 people, all Muslim Gujjars, were killed on the spot — including 3 children, 2 teenagers, and 7 members of the local Village Defence Committee (VDC). 10 others, including 4 women and 3 children, were also seriously injured.

 

 

Since the insurgency began in 1989, many innocent villagers across Jammu and Kashmir have been targeted in brutal attacks, especially those who refused to support terrorism. To protect people living in remote and inaccessible areas, the government formed Village Defence Committees (VDCs) and provided them arms for self-defence.

 

 

In this case too, it was the bravery of the VDC members that prevented a much more bigger tragedy. They fired back at the terrorists and managed to chase them away within 10–15 minutes which saved many more lives.