Ganesh Kendale
SRINAGAR: Suspected Pakistani terrorists shot dead six labourers and a doctor, firing automatic weapons around 8.15 pm Sunday at a camp housing workers employed by a private company building a tunnel in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
The fatalities included Dr Shahnawaz from Budgam in central Kashmir; migrant workers Gurmeet Singh from Punjab’s Gurdaspur, Anil Kumar Shukla and Shashi Abrol; and locals Faheem Nazir, Mohd Hanief, and Abdul Kaleem.Several others were wounded in the biggest and fifth targeted attack in Kashmir this year.
Sunday’s attack is the second since the new coalition government led by CM Omar Abdullah assumed office in J&K on October 16. Omar, who represents Ganderbal assembly constituency, posted on X: “Very sad news of a dastardly and cowardly attack on non-local labourers… The casualty figure from the Gagangir attack is not final as there are a number of injured labourers, both local & non-local.”
Sources said locals were also wounded in the attack on a temporary camp near the construction site of Apco Infratech, which is building the 6.5 km Z-Morh tunnel for all-weather connectivity between Gagangir and the tourist hub of Sonamarg. The highway connects Kashmir valley with Ladakh. The project was nearly complete and was slated to be inaugurated in the first week of November.
Union home minister Amit Shah condemned the killings and promised that those “involved in this heinous act will not be spared and will face the harshest response from our security forces”. “At this moment of immense grief, I extend my sincerest condolences to the families of the deceased. Praying for the speedy recovery of those injured,” he posted on X.
Highways minister Nitin Gadkari also condemned the terrorist attack, saying the “innocent labourers” were engaged in a vital infrastructure project in Gagangir. “I offer my humble tribute to the martyred labourers and extend my deepest condolences to their families during this difficult time.”
The attack also underscored the disturbing trend of violence against non-native people. On Friday, the body of a 30-year-old man from Bihar’s Banka district was found riddled with bullets in a maize field in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. On April 8, a tourist cab driver from Delhi was critically wounded in Shopian, while a 35-year-old labourer from Bihar was shot dead in Anantnag on April 17. Earlier in Feb, two men from Punjab were killed in Srinagar.
Sources said the doctor and two workers died on the spot, while the others were rushed to a nearby hospital, where four more were pronounced dead. Five of the critically wounded were shifted to SKIMS hospital in Srinagar.
The terrorists targeted the workers near the mess area where they had gathered for dinner. Kashmir zone IGP VK Birdi said: “The shooting happened in a densely forested area.” Security forces have launched an operation to track down the attackers, with the area currently under cordon.
The Union territory has recorded a surge in terrorist violence this summer, claiming the lives of 22 security personnel since May 4, including 18 in Jammu and four in Kashmir. Speaking on the security situation, Army’s 15 Corps GoC Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said around 80 terrorists are active in the region.
