A family member of the doctor who was killed in Sunday's terror attack mourns during his funeral procession in Budgam district, Srinagar, on October 21, 2024. — AFP
Gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir opened fire on a construction site work camp, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals and injuring several others, according to Indian media reports on Monday, which updated an earlier casualty count. This attack on Sunday ranks among the most severe this year targeting civilians. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the attack as 'dastardly and cowardly' on Sunday night, while India's Home Minister Amit Shah pledged that those responsible would face the 'harshest' consequences. The assailants targeted workers from outside the Himalayan region, who were reportedly constructing a tunnel connecting Kashmir with the far northern Ladakh region. Among the seven killed was a doctor, as reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency on Monday, with several others also wounded.
Abdullah, who was sworn in as the region's chief minister on Wednesday following its first local elections in a decade, strongly denounced the attack on 'non-local labourers'. Shortly after the attack, Abdullah confirmed two deaths but cautioned that there were also 'a number of injured labourers, both local and non-local'. At least 500,000 Indian troops are stationed in Kashmir, combating an insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of civilian, soldier, and rebel lives since 1989. In a statement, Amit Shah described the killings as '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 declared. The attack occurred in Gagangir, Sonamarg region, where India's Minister of Roads, Nitin Gadkari, stated that 'innocent labourers' had been working on a 'vital infrastructure project'. Indian newspapers reported that gunmen fired automatic weapons at the camp from forested hills nearby.
Women mourn Shahnawaz Dar, the doctor killed in Sunday's militant attack at a tunnel construction site, during his funeral in Budgam, Srinagar, on October 21, 2024. — Reuters
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government revoked Kashmir's limited autonomy in 2019, accompanied by mass arrests and a months-long communications blackout. The administration claims this decision has helped curb the insurgency, but critics argue it suppresses political freedoms. In June, nine Indian Hindu pilgrims were killed and dozens more injured when a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying them from a shrine in Reasi district.
Source link: https://www.khaleejtimes.com
