Police sources maintain she was caught in a love triangle involving two militants. But according to another version, she died for refusing to provide food and shelter to militants who landed at the home of her father, Ghulam Hasan Najar. The inmates had been jolted out of their sleep by a midnight knock.

Exactly a month earlier, 22-year-old Shareefa met a similar fate in Dragmulla village. She was cooking food when she heard noises outside. Six militants barged into the house when her father, Ghulam Nabi Naik opened the door. They wanted shelter for the night. Shareefa not only turned them down but also hurled abuses at them.

The militants opened fire, pumping six bullets into her. Defiant Shareefa lay dead in a pool ofblood. The militants fled the place, but after issuing a stern warning. ``Should anybody dare refuse us shelter, he will meet the same fate.''

In January, a young girl in Brimar Narsar village was killed by three militants of Chatturgul area. The militants used to frequently visit the village, and stay at the house where she lived with her grandmother and a younger sister.

There were no male members in the household and the militants exploited the situation. ``They developed illicit relations with both the sisters and used to satiate their lust by exploiting them,'' Farooq Khan, senior superintendent of police, Anantnag, told The Indian Express.

``The sexual exploitation of both the sisters continued for four months till the elder sister became pregnant. The trio visited her on the night of January 13 and learnt about her pregnancy. They had an argument with the victim, took her to a jungle nearby and brutally killed her to hide the crime,'' he said.

Last year, 23-year-old-Mariam also fell tothe militants' bullets at village Nathipora. According to the villagers, Mariam was in love with a local man and both wanted to tie the nuptial knot. The young man had joined a counter-insurgency group, mainly because his family needed the money.

The militants did not take kindly to his being in the enemy camp. ``They killed young Mariam to teach the boy a lesson. She was a very nice girl,'' a local shopkeeper said.

Pro-government militants too face charges of exploiting women. There are reports in Anantnag of women being married off at gun-point by counter-insurgents.