Ganderbal terror attack: Massive combing operation launched, NIA sleuths collect evidence from site

Srinagar: A day after a deadly terror attack at a tunnel construction site in J-K's Ganderbal left seven people dead, security forces on Monday launched a massive combing operation in the area, with National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths scouring the site for evidence.

Army, CRPF and police personnel fanned out in the areas around the construction site to track down the terrorists and their supporters involved in one of the deadliest attacks on non-local labourers in Kashmir, officials said.

"So far, no progress has been made in terms of arrests but we are hopeful of developing some leads that will lead us to the terrorists involved in the attack," an official said.

A doctor and six labourers were killed when terrorists struck a tunnel construction site on the Srinagar-Leh national highway in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district on Sunday.

The unidentified terrorists carried out the attack when the labourers and other staff working on the tunnel project at Gund in Ganderbal had returned to their camp late in the evening, the officials said.

They said the terrorists -- believed to be at least two -- opened indiscriminate fire on the group of labourers that included both locals and non-locals.

While two labourers died on the spot, four others and the doctor succumbed to their injuries subsequently, the officials said, adding that five people are undergoing treatment for injuries.

The deceased have been identified as Dr Shahnawaz, Faheem Nasir, Kaleem, Mohammad Hanif, Shashi Abrol, Anil Shukla and Gurmeet Singh.

This was the deadliest attack on non-local labourers in Kashmir since the June 2006 attack in Yaripora area of Kulgam district which left nine labourers -- hailing from Nepal and Bihar -- dead.

The NIA sleuths this afternoon visited the spot to collect evidence that could lead the investigators to the perpetrators of the attack.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday said security forces will avenge the killing of construction workers in the brutal attack in Ganderbal and the terrorists and their associates will remember it for the time to come.

Sinha called for justice for the victims as he blamed Pakistan for "still trying to kill innocent people" in the region to disrupt peace.

Addressing a function here earlier in the day, the LG said, "We won't forget yesterday's dastardly attack." The LG said there was still a threat from the "neighbouring country". "It is still trying to kill innocent people in this region and to destabilise peace here," he added at the Police Martyrs' Day function. PTI MIJ RT RT