Medico, five migrant labourers, killed in terrorist attack in J&K's Ganderbal

Terrorists opened fire on the camp housing labourers of a private company working on construction of a tunnel at Gund area in Ganderbal, a police official said.

Srinagar: Six persons, including a doctor, were killed and five others were injured in a terror attack near an under-construction tunnel in Gund area of central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Sunday.

Among the victims are both local and non-local workers, police said and added two terrorists were involved in the attack.

The attackers opened fire on a labor camp housing workers engaged in the construction of a tunnel, injuring nearly a dozen, reports said. While two individuals died on the spot, four others succumbed to their injuries while being transported to hospitals. Among the dead include a doctor.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned while attacking the attack in a post on X, said: “The casualty figure from the Gagangeer attack is not final, as a number of injured labourers, both local and non-local, are still being treated. I pray that the injured make a full recovery as the more seriously injured are being referred to SKIMS, Srinagar.”

Immediately after the attack police and security forces rushed to the area to nab the assailants. A 27-second video circulating on social media reportedly shows the bloodied bodies of two victims near the camp.

The area is home to numerous non-local workers involved in the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel and the widening of the highway, projects managed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL).

This incident follows the recent killing of Ashok Chouhan, a corn vendor from Bihar, who was shot dead by terrorists in the Shopian district just days earlier. Such violent attacks are likely to heighten fear among thousands of migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, who rely on jobs in various sectors, including construction and agriculture.

This marks the second civilian killing since Omar Abdullah took office as the first chief minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, raising questions about the state of law and order under his administration.

“Very sad news of a dastardly & cowardly attack on non-local labourers at Gagangir in Sonamarg region. These people were working on a key infrastructure project in the area. 2 have been killed & 2-3 more have been injured in this militant attack. I strongly condemn this attack on unarmed innocent people & send my condolences to their loved ones,” Abdullah posted on X after the Ganderbal attack.

In a post on X, the Union minister Nitin Gadkari said that the “innocent labourers” were engaged in a vital infrastructure project in Gagangir, Sonamarg. “I strongly condemn the horrific terror attack on innocent labourers in Gagangir, Sonamarg, Jammu & Kashmir, who were engaged in a vital infrastructure project,” Gadkari said.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra condoled the deaths in the terror attack and said killing innocent civilians and spreading violence and terror among the people are crimes against humanity.

In a post in Hindi on X, Priyanka Gandhi said the killing of six civilians, including five labourers, in a cowardly terrorist attack in Ganderbal is highly condemnable.

"Acts like killing innocent civilians and spreading violence and terror among the general public are crimes against humanity. The whole country is united against this," she said.

"My deepest condolences to the bereaved families and I wish the injured a speedy recovery," she said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah  said those involved in this heinous act will not be spared and they will face the harshest response from the security forces.

The targeted killing of non-locals has become a disturbing trend in the region, with previous attacks recorded in April when two non-local labourers were killed by terrorists. Earlier this month, a soldier from the Army was found dead with gunshot wounds after being abducted by terrorists in Anantnag district.

In May this year, a former BJP sarpanch was killed, and a tourist couple from Jaipur was injured in two separate terrorist attacks in Shopian and Anantnag districts.

(With PTI inputs)