Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday expressed grief and concern of the killing of three persons, including a teenager, in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district. Missing since three days, bodies of Darshan Singh (40), Yogesh Singh (32), and Varun Singh (15) were retrieved from near a waterfall in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua. In the preliminary investigation, police ruled out the possibility of a terror attack, but the Union minister has confirmed the possibility.
'Appears to be a deep conspiracy'
In a post on X (former Twitter), the minister stated, "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." He further alleged that this is a step to disturb the harmonious atmosphere in the area. "There appears to be a deep conspiracy behind spoiling the atmosphere in this peaceful area. We have discussed this matter with the concerned officials. 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 remain strong," he wrote in a post in Hindi.
Bodies recovered through drone
The bodies of Varun Singh, 15 of Dehota, his uncle Yogesh Singh, 32, and maternal uncle Darshan Singh, 40, were sighted in Ishu nullah in the remote Malhar area in the higher reaches of the district by drones during a joint search operation by police and the Army late afternoon.
The bodies were later retrieved from the scene after hectic efforts as the area was steep, the officials said, adding preliminary investigation has ruled out any terror angle as there were no visible marks of injury on the bodies. However, the cause of death is not known yet and will be determined after the postmortem.
In a statement issued on Saturday night, the Jammu and Kashmir Police said, "On March 6, a missing case was reported at Malhar Police Station in which three members of a family, who were part of a barat (wedding procession) going from Marhoon to Surag, had gone missing on March 5."