Slain Katra trucker killed by militants in Anantnag cremated

JAMMU :Amidst a pall of gloom at Sera Kotla village near Kakriyal in Katra, four minor children of a truck driver who was shot dead by terrorists in a south Kashmir village, bid adieu to their father on Tuesday.

Truck driver Narayan Dutt,43, had gone to pick a consignment of apples for a Delhi fruit market when he was shot dead by terrorists at Bijbehara in Anantnag district on Monday. He was the fourth trucker killed by terrorists in south Kashmir in the past three weeks. Earlier an apple trader from Punjab and a labourer from Chhattisgarh were killed by terrorists.

The mother of the four minor children had died a few years ago.

“My father had gone to Kashmir for ferrying a consignment of apples to Delhi but terrorists killed him,” his daughter said.

Dutt’s youngest daughter said her father had promised to come home for Diwali.

“On Monday evening we got a call that he has been killed. What did they get by killing my father. The government must end terrorism,” she added.

Her brother said following the killing of their father, there was no one to look after them.village sarpanch Bansi Lal said five years ago the mother of these children had passed away. Dutt’s killing has orphaned these children, he added.

Reasi district magistrate Indu Kanwal Chib said the state government has provided an immediate relief of ₹1 lakh to the children and the administration has also decided to provide them free education and ration.

“They have a paternal uncle, who looks after them. We have made him their guardian. A team of officials from integrated child development services have been assigned the task of ensuring free education to the children. The administration will also provide them free BPL ration,” Chib said.