Militants on Thursday night gunned down a woman and her two children in Harra village near Gool in the hilly Udhampur district of Jammu region.
A senior police officer said militants forcibly entered the house of a Hindu villager in Harra village and sprayed bullets inside killing three persons on the spot.
The deceased have been identified as 35-year-old Sumitra Devi and her children Neelam Singh (10) and Meera Devi (14).
The head of the family identified as Ram Singh, who was not present at the time of the massacre, is reported to be an employee of the state police.
Security forces rushed to the village to beef up security and search the area.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the massacre.