Anger is building up against the police among the residents of the sleepy hamlet of Nadimarg, where militants gunned down 24 Kashmiri Pandits in the wee hours of Monday.

They said had the police arrived on time many lives could have been saved.

"I pleaded with the police to come to the rescue of the village. I also managed to sent some messages to nearby army camps, but all my pleas fell on deaf ears," Ramesh Koul, one of the survivors of the massacre, said.

It took police four hours to reach the scene of massacre after being informed about the movement of terrorists, Koul said.

Located on the Srinagar-Jammu highway, Nadimarg had a population of 52 pandits comprising 11 families.

The hamlet now is a picture of a holocaust with half its population wiped off, Koul said.

He said the militants dressed in army uniform came to the village at about 10 pm on Sunday night and asked the people to come out of their houses.

"We were told that the army is going to conduct a search operation as they had information about presence of militants in the village," Koul said.

He said he sensed something foul about the uniformed men and escaped under the cover of darkness to make his way to Zainapora police station, some six kilometres away, at 11 pm, three and a half hours before the militants went on a shooting spree.

"There is no government. When we sought increased protection, nobody listened to us. Now we are dead, everybody is coming here ... I do not know what for," Koul asked J&K Pradesh Committee chief Ghulam Nabi Azad who came to offer condolences to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, acting swiftly following the massacre the Jammu and Kashmir government suspended nine police personnel posted in Srinagar for the security of minorities.

The nine personnel have been placed under suspension for neglecting their duty pending an inquiry into the matter, official sources said.

Four of the nine cops had reported at Zainapora police station on Monday morning, while five others were still missing, they said.

The police personnel had allegedly fled the scene as militants attacked the village late last night and killed 24 pandits including 11 women and two children.

Share your comments

What do you think about the story? Read what others have to say: Number of User Comments: 3 Sub: nadimarg massacre Removal of article 370 and other similar legislations allowing the entry of people from the national main stream to the state is the only solution ... Posted by nps Sub: So much for the 'new vision' This incident clearly brings out the inability of the J&K government to control violence. Stopping all military action against terrorists and releasing them is not ... Posted by el diablo Sub: What a shame ... This really brings back memories of massacre of Muslims in Gujarat .. they cried for help but the police never came (too busy protecting the ... Posted by Sarang Deshpande