Seven people, including a Kashmiri doctor, were killed on Sunday when terrorists opened fire at a construction site in Ganderbal district, officials reported. The victims were identified as laborers and staff from a contractor working on a tunnel for the Srinagar-Leh national highway.
This attack marks the deadliest assault on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir since the June 9 incident in Reasi, where nine pilgrims lost their lives when their bus came under gunfire.
Among Sunday’s victims were three laborers, a manager, a mechanical engineer, and a designer, all of whom had returned to their camp in the evening. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the attacks as “dastardly.”
According to police, at least two suspected gunmen fired indiscriminately at the camp housing workers from APCO in the Gagangeer area of Ganderbal. Inspector General of Police VK Birdi stated that the victims were taken to the hospital but succumbed to their injuries. He noted that the incident occurred in a densely forested area, but security forces quickly cordoned off the location.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah condemned the attack, labeling it a “despicable act of cowardice.” He assured that those responsible would face severe consequences. “The dastardly terror attack on civilians in Gagangir, J&K, will not go unpunished,” Shah wrote on X.
The police confirmed the incident was terrorism-related. “Terror incident in Gagangeer, Ganderbal. Area cordoned off by security forces. Further details shall follow,” the Kashmir police zone posted on X.
This attack comes shortly after the new administration in Jammu and Kashmir was sworn in, following the region’s reorganization into a union territory and the revocation of its special status under Article 370 in 2019.
Political Reactions
The attacks prompted widespread political condemnation. Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti expressed her condolences, stating, “I unequivocally condemn this senseless act of violence against laborers in Ganderbal.”
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Altaf Thakur described the attack as a sign of frustration on the part of terrorists. “This cowardly act shows their inability to confront security forces,” he said.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra voiced grave concern over the assault by unidentified gunmen, warning that such incidents could create a hostile environment. He urged the government to take immediate action to protect innocent laborers.
This year has seen multiple attacks targeting civilians from outside the state. On October 18, a bullet-riddled body of a 37-year-old laborer from Bihar, Ashok Chauhan, was found in Shopian district. Earlier, on April 17, another migrant worker from Bihar was killed in Anantnag, and on February 7, a laborer from Amritsar was also murdered in Srinagar.
