One Dead, Another Injured in Terror Attack

in J&K's Kulgam

A suspected terrorist attack on non-local labourers at a brick kiln in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district has left one worker dead and another injured, marking the second targeted terror strike in the

Kashmir Valley in just over a week.

What Happened

Suspected terrorists opened fire on non-local labourers at a brick kiln in Kulgam district on Friday evening, resulting in the death of one individual and injuries to another, officials said. The assailants targeted the labourers at the brick kiln in the Kelam area of the south Kashmir district late in the evening.

Two labourers were injured in the attack. One of them succumbed to his wounds before he could be transported to a hospital, while the other was referred to GMC Hospital in Anantnag. The injured worker was rushed to a nearby hospital, where his condition was reported to be critical.

The Victims

The deceased has been identified as Deepak Ratray, aged 24, and the injured labourer as Bopinder, aged 28 — both from Chhattisgarh. The injured worker was also identified in some reports as Bhupender, also from Chhattisgarh. Bopinder was initially taken to GMC Anantnag and later referred to SKIMS Hospital in Soura for further treatment. Both men were part of the large population of migrant workers from other Indian states who travel to Kashmir for manual labour, often in construction and brick-making, sectors that have repeatedly been targeted in the region's long-running militancy.

Security Response

Authorities moved quickly to respond to the attack. According to Jammu and Kashmir Police, security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers. Security agencies launched a large-scale cordon and search operation in and around Kellam village to trace the attackers, with additional forces deployed and the area sealed off as efforts continued to hunt down those responsible.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha responded strongly to the attack. He strongly condemned the terrorist attack that killed the labourer from Chhattisgarh, saying he had directed security forces to intensify operations and eliminate those responsible. In a post on social media, Sinha said he had spoken with Director General of Police Nalin Prabhat and top security officials following the attack, describing it as a "brutal" and "cowardly act," and directed forces to step up operations.

Sinha confirmed that J&K Police and security forces had cordoned off the area and launched an operation to bring the perpetrators to justice, and that the injured labourer had been rushed to hospital for urgent medical care. He also offered condolences to the victim's family. The Lieutenant Governor expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured worker.

Part of a Wider Pattern

The Kulgam attack is not an isolated incident but the latest in a string of targeted strikes against civilians and non-local workers in the region. This attack follows closely on the heels of another incident less than ten days earlier, in which terrorists shot and killed a police officer in Anantnag town.

The fallout from that Anantnag attack had already reshaped the security posture across the Valley. In the aftermath of the Anantnag attack, police detained more than 3,000 suspects as part of an intensified counterterrorism operation. That scale of detentions drew scrutiny from local political leadership. Reacting to the large-scale detentions, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had cautioned against indiscriminate arrests.

Attacks on non-local labourers in Jammu and Kashmir have a grim precedent. Before this incident, two labourers were killed in the region in 2024, when on February 7, 2024, two non-local workers from Punjab — Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih — were shot dead by a terrorist. Migrant workers, seen by militant groups as symbols of the region's integration with the rest of the country and its post-Article 370 economic normalisation drive, have repeatedly been singled out in such attacks, alongside off-duty security personnel and, at times, their families.

Context

The renewed violence comes at a sensitive time for the region, coinciding with the ongoing Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage season, which draws large numbers of pilgrims from across India to south and central Kashmir and has historically required heightened security vigilance. The back-to-back nature of the Anantnag and Kulgam attacks — targeting a police officer and then migrant labourers within the space of ten days — suggests a deliberate effort by militant groups to sustain pressure on security forces and unsettle the sense of normalcy the government has sought to project in the Valley. With search operations now underway in the Kelam-Kellam area, attention will turn to whether security forces can track down those responsible before further incidents occur.