New Delhi

While Muslims across the world are celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr to mark the end of month-long fasting with prayers and celebrations, the villagers of Sagiote in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir are in no mood to celebrate.

They are only offering Namaz and there is no grand celebration in honour of the five Indian army jawans who died in the terrorist attack on an army truck on Thursday, two days before the festival.

The five jawans who lost their lives in the attack were part of the Rashtriya rifles unit posted in the village and the truck they were travelling in was carrying food items for the evening Iftaar party to be held in village on Thursday..

They are yet to come to terms with the fact these five jawans laid down their lives in the line of duty while defending their country against terrorists. On Thursday their responsibility of bringing the fruits and packaged food for the 7 pm Iftaar party at Sagiote was given to the RR unit..

According to a report in the Indian Express newspaper, the invitations had been sent across to many notables of the villages of 4,000 people.

There was enthusiasm among the people and they were making preparations for the evening party. The RR unit based in the village had taken the responsibility of arranging food for Iftaar.

The ill-fated truck was carrying materials from the RR headquarters at Basooni in Balakote and had picked up more items en route from the Bhimber Gali area, where the RR has a significant presence owing to the movement of Army convoys between Poonch and Rajouri.

As the truck was seven kilometers short of the villager, it was ambushed from three sides, leaving five soldiers dead.

Mukhtiaz Khan, Sarpanch of the Sangiote panchayat in Poonch district told the newspaper that he was among those invited to the Iftar.

He said on that day: “Kya iftar jab hamare paanch jawan uss unfortunate haadse mein shaheed ho gaye (what iftar fast when five of our soldiers were martyred in that unfortunate incident).”

Khan remembers how the locals were making arrangements for the party and they knew that food items to be served are being brought by the RR personnel.

He said: “The martyrs were part of the RR unit deployed in our village and our thoughts are with their families.”

He said around 3 pm, when the loaded vehicle crossed Tota Gali, and was just 7-8 km short of its destination, terrorists who had already laid an ambush attacked it from multiple sides.

The attack lasted for seven minutes and the forensic team said it was from three sides.

Army personnel and villagers from nearby Bhatta Durian were the first to reach the spot of the attack and found the charred bodies of five soldiers and one jawan badly injured.

The fruits and other packaged food items were strewn all over the road.

The sarpanch said as soon as the villagers learned of the attack through social media posts, “a pall of gloom descended on the village.”

Khan said their first reaction was to rush to the spot. However, the Army and the police had cordoned off the area in search of the perpetrators of the crime.”

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He said the villagers have decided to hold no celebration on Eid and only offer Namaz.