A doctor and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck the labour camp of the Z-Morh tunnel construction site in Gagangir, Ganderbal district, near Sonamarg on Sunday evening. The incident happened after the workers were having dinner in the mess.
Two labourers died on the spot while five others, including the doctor, succumbed to injuries later. The death toll may rise as several others are seriously injured. The militants also set two vehicles belonging to the construction company ablaze before fleeing.
The deceased have been identified as Gurmeet Singh from Gurdaspur, Punjab; Dr Shahnawaz Qadir Dar from Budgam; Anil Kumar Shukla; Faheem Nazir; Shashi Abrol from Jammu; and Muhammad Hanif and Muhammad Kaleem from Bihar. The injured include 35-year-old Inder Yadav from Bihar; 45-year-old Mohan Lal and 36-year-old Jagtar Singh from Kathua; 30-year-old driver Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat from Safapora; and 25-year-old Mushtaq Ahmad Lone from Preng. All are being treated at SKIMS, Soura, in Srinagar.
"Terror incident in Gagangeer, Ganderbal. Area cordoned off by security forces," Kashmir Police Zone said in a post on X. The security officials have also cordoned off the area.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers, the officials said.
Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah have condemned the terror attack. Shah said those involved in the heinous act will not be spared. "The dastardly terror attack on civilians in Gagangir, J&K, is a despicable act of cowardice. Those involved in this heinous act will not be spared and will face the harshest response from our security forces," Shah said in a post on X.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the number of casualties in the attack may go up. "The casualty figure from the Gagangir attack is not final as there are a number of injured labourers, both local and non-local. Praying that the injured make a full recovery as the more seriously injured are being referred to SKIMS, Srinagar," he said in a post on X.
Abdullah condemned the attack, which came barely four days after he was sworn in as the chief minister of the Union Territory.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also posted on X, stating, “I strongly condemn the heinous terrorist attack on civilians in Gagangir. I assure the people that those behind this despicable act will not go unpunished. We have given full freedom to J&K Police, Army, and security forces."
This is the second such incident in three days, following the killing of Ashok Kumar, a labourer from Bihar, in Shopian on October 18. His bullet-riddled body was found in a field some distance from where he had been harvesting maize with other migrant labourers.