With this, the total number of people killed by militants since Tuesday evening has risen to 38, as earlier 17 Muslims were killed in Surankote (Poonch) three days ago, followed by 12 labourers in Anantnag district next day. However, this time, the militants targeted the Hindu families in Poonch district.

The gruesome massacre caused panic in Ari village, with all the Hindu families having shifted to the nearby Mendhar town for safety. Of the 200 families living in the village, over 60 per cent belonged to the minority community of the state.

Giving details, sources said the deceased included a 100-year-old Jewan Shah and his wife Ishro (90), besides their great grand-children, Rekha (8) and Rajiv Kumar (4). Jewan Shah's grandsons, Kuldip Raj (30) and Ashok Kumar (20), besides grand daughter-in-law Rita(25), were also among the dead. The other two deceased have been identified as Des Raj (60) and his son Shammi (24).

Rajesh Kumar, another grandson of Jeevan Shah, sustained bullet injury in his left thigh and was hospitalised.

All the victims were reportedly close relatives of a village youth, Shanker, who had eloped with Sofiya -- a girl of the other community, from the area two months ago. Tension had prevailed in the village and nearby areas, with people from the majority community observing bandh in protest for some days.

Sources said that about 15 masked militants encircled three houses in the village around 9 pm and fired some shots. Thereafter, they broke into the house of Des Raj and killed him and his son hiding in separate rooms.

Des Raj's wife Durga, sister Krishna and daughter Beena, managed to escape the attention of militants as they took refuge under the heap of blankets and other clothings in another room. His another son, Rakesh Kumar, also escaped as he had left the home andreturned to Mendhar town for studies about two hours before the arrival of militants.

After these killings, the militants entered the nearby house of Jeevan Shah -- an ex-serviceman, and killed him along with his two great grandchildren, Rekha and Rajeev, while they were asleep in the compound. The other family members in the house had locked the doors of their rooms from inside after hearing the gunshots in the meantime.

However, the militants broke open the doors of a room and shot dead Kuldip and his wife, Rita. Thereafter, they entered another room from its window and killed Ashok, while his brother Rajesh managed to escape their attention as he had hidden himself under a cot. But as militants resorted to indiscriminate fire in the room, he sustained a bullet injury in the thigh.

Sources said the militants also went to the house of Shanker, but his father Mohan Lal along with the family, except his grandmother Koushalya, had already shifted to Mendhar. However, Koushalya managed to escape as sheleft the house immediately after hearing the first gunshot in the village.

Though the Ari police post is only two kms away, the police reached the massacre site only in the morning. However, by that time, the people had started carrying the bodies towards Mendhar town.