At least seven people have been killed in a terrorist attack that hit a construction site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The seven people including a doctor and six labourers engaged in construction work were killed after militants opened indiscriminate firing on the laborers working on the under-construction tunnel project at Gund area in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir at the late hours of last night. The attack upon the labourers who are not locals has ruffled this region.
7 Killed in Terrorist Attack on Construction Site in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal District
The attack, which has been widely condemned, took place at early hours of Sunday. According to officials, the attack had been carried out by militants on the camp of laborers of a private company involved in the construction of a very important infrastructure project.
The majority of the laborers are non-locals, who have frequently been targeted and whose safety becomes an issue.
Immediate Response to Security Measures
Local forces immediately responded to the gunshots with all force officials calling up police and army units to the place of the incident. The security forces cordoned off the location and initiated manhunt for the terrorists who perpetrated this attack.
Jammu and Kashmir Police acknowledged the incident through its official social media handle on the platform X, formerly Twitter as well, wrote: “Terror incident in Gagangeer, Ganderbal. Area cordoned off by security forces. Further details shall follow.”
Policemen, in conjunction with the army, have upped vigil and search operations in that area-a strategically sensitive zone that’s very close to the Srinagar-Leh highway. According to sources, the attackers escaped from the place under the cover of darkness, but still, security personnel remain on high alert, and more reinforcements have been deployed to the region. No militant organization has come out and claimed responsibility for the attack till to date.
One of the seven dead is a doctor, who was giving medical care to the laborers. Six other victims are construction workers from outside this region. Many others were injured in the attack, and some of the more seriously wounded were evacuated to Srinagar for advanced medical treatment at the SKIMS.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah took to microblogging sites to condemn the killings and express shock and grief over the incident. “Dastardly, cowardly act of violence. Praying for the families of the deceased and for the injured. The more seriously injured are being referred to SKIMS, Srinagar.”
It has been confirmed that the local authorities sent many injured people to hospitals, while the serious cases were sent to SKIMS, which is considered the premier medical facility in the state. Many doctors said that the condition of most of the victims was critical, and their treatment was underway.
Nationwide Condemnation
The attack has brought widespread condemnation across the country, with political leaders and public figures making their position known. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah headed the chorus of condemnation, calling for immediate action against those responsible. His sentiments were echoed by various leaders across the political divide, calling for better protection of workers’ lives while working on main development projects in Jammu and Kashmir.
Strongest condemnation of the attack came from Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, to whom the infrastructure project falls. On X, Gadkari wrote, “Sad to see loss of life in the horrific terror attack on innocent laborers engaged in a crucial infrastructure project in Gagangir, Sonamarg, Jammu & Kashmir. I extend my immediate solidarity with the injured.”.
Gadkari also condoled the deaths of those who lost their lives in the accident and wished the injured speedy recovery. “This is a tragic loss for families and the nation. We stand united in our grief and commitment to fighting terrorism in all its forms,” he added.
Safety Concerns for Non-Local Workers
This last attack has renewed the concerns about the safety of non-local workers working in Jammu and Kashmir. For a while now, such workers have become frequent targets of militant groups as efforts at generally disrupting economic and development activities in the region. By information available, the Gagangir construction workers were engaged in the tunnel construction work on this infrastructure project generally intended at connecting the region better.
This incident has stirred companies operating in the area, and their security procedures are currently underway to ensure safety for every employee. Moreover, local authorities assured that additional security measures shall also be implemented for the safety of workers, especially those not from the area.
Ongoing Search Operations
Increased monitoring on those who perpetrated this atrocity has been increased by the security personnel as they look for the perpetrators. The government has strengthened their operations in the neighboring areas; checkpoints are mounted along the main roads, exit routes, and all the ways that the attackers could be leaving the region.
The authorities have ordered the local residents to be on full alert and report immediately any suspicion. More than the presence of ground troops, security forces have been augmented by the employment of drones, among other surveillance technologies, in finding the two suspects.
The attack has left the region shaken in grief, and once again is questioning the security situation here in Jammu and Kashmir. While the families of the victims mourn the tragic loss, the government has promised to bring the culprits to book. Search operations are still active in the region, and security forces are on high alert to prevent any such incident from happening again in the near future.
For now, the worry is with the security of workers and the return of things to normal in the region even when terror fear is still going high.
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