JAMMU: Activists of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal took out a protest march in Jammu on Thursday night, calling for stern action against militants involved in the attack on an Army vehicle in Poonch district.
Five Army personnel were killed and another was seriously injured on Thursday after their vehicle caught fire following a militant attack, officials said.
Jammu and Kashmir BJP chief Ravinder Raina condemned the “cowardly attack” by Pakistan-sponsored militants and said the killing of soldiers will be avenged.
Led by state executive president of the VHP Rajesh Gupta, scores of activists of the outfit and the Bajrang Dal assembled at the Tawi bridge in the city and held protests against the attack.
They raised slogans in support of the Army, and called for stern action against the militants.
Gupta said immediate action should be taken against the militants and the people who have carried out such heinous incidents by giving shelter to the militants.
They also paid tributes to the five soldiers killed in the attack.
Raina said, “Coward militants attacked an Army vehicle with a grenade and five soldiers were martyred. All those involved in militant act will be eliminated. The martyrdom of jawans will be avenged.”
The Congress too condemned the attack, terming it an act of grave provocation by Pakistan and its sponsored militants.
“The party is shocked at the loss of precious lives and salutes the martyrs, and conveys its deepest sympathies to their families, besides praying for the recovery of the injured,” JKPCC chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said.
Gaurav Gupta, general secretary of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Jammu, described the attack as “cowardly and inhuman”, and urged the government to identify the gunmen for exemplary punishment.
He said militancy has no place in a civilised world and those indulging in such barbaric acts were enemies of humanity.–(PTI)
