Two CRPF personnel provide round-the-clock security at Saroj Bala’s home in Dangri village, with one stationed at a newly constructed watchtower. Inside her modest home, Bala points to a photograph of her two sons, Prince Sharma and Deepak Sharma, and expresses her ongoing quest for justice.

Her sons were among seven people killed by terrorists in the first two days of 2023 in this village near Rajouri. The attack, which shocked a region previously experiencing reduced militant violence, resulted in five deaths, including Prince and Deepak, both in their 20s. The following morning, two minors, including a four-year-old relative, were killed when an IED left by the militants exploded at Bala’s house.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha visited the village and met with the victims’ families, including Bala. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also assured Bala of a thorough investigation but was unable to visit the village due to bad weather.

Frustrated with politicians, Bala is considering staging a protest at the polling booth on election day. The Rajouri Assembly constituency, including Dangri, will vote in the second phase on September 25. The 60-year-old widow, who lost her children in the attack, held a dharna last year to protest the delay in apprehending the accused.

Despite the local police’s limited progress, the Central government transferred the investigation to the NIA. The agency charged five militants, including three from Pakistan, and arrested two residents of Poonch and a juvenile for providing logistical support. Bala questions the NIA’s findings, believing that local individuals, not outsiders, were responsible for the attack. She argues that security agencies initially suggested that militants were hiding in Rajouri’s forests, yet she believes the attackers were well-acquainted with the victims.

Bala also claims that recent encounters in Rajouri have been used to give false hope, with suggestions that militants killed in other areas were behind the Dangri attack. Since 2021, southern areas of the Pir Panjal range, including Poonch, Rajouri, and Jammu, have seen increased terror targeting security forces and civilians.

Exasperated after nearly two years, Bala demands that politicians address her concerns if they seek her vote. She hints at bringing the entire village to protest at the polling booth if her case is not addressed. Meanwhile, as election fervor grows, with BJP and National Conference (NC) flags appearing around the village, the Dangri attack remains a minor issue in the campaign. The Rajouri seat is contested by BJP’s Vibod Kumar Gupta, Congress’s Iftkar Ahmed, and PDP’s Tasadiq Hussain. The BJP’s campaign focuses on tribal reservation measures, while the NC promises the restoration of Article 370 and 35 A.