Gunmen have killed seven workers and injured at least five others at a strategic tunnel project in Indian-administered Kashmir, officials said, marking one of the worst civilian-targeted attacks in the region this year.
Police on Monday attributed the attack to rebels opposing Indian rule, describing it as a “terror attack” on a construction workers’ camp in Gagangir, near the resort town of Sonamarg.
Police reported that at least two attackers opened fire “indiscriminately” at officials and workers involved in the construction project on Sunday night, killing two people instantly. At least 10 others were rushed to the hospital, where five more succumbed to their injuries.
The attack occurred shortly after the workers had returned to their lodgings. The victims included five migrant workers, one Kashmiri worker, and a Kashmiri doctor.
Police and armed forces reinforcements were deployed to the area to conduct search operations aimed at apprehending the attackers.
Omar Abdullah, the region’s chief minister, condemned the attack in a post on the social media platform X, describing it as “dastardly and cowardly.” India’s Home Minister Amit Shah vowed that those responsible would face the “harshest” consequences.
Hundreds of workers, primarily laborers from other Indian states, are involved in the ambitious tunnel project designed to connect the Kashmir Valley with Ladakh, a cold desert region that remains cut off for half the year due to heavy snowfall. Experts highlight the project’s strategic importance for the military, as it will significantly enhance their operational capabilities in Ladakh.
The strategically vital region shares de facto borders with both Pakistan and China, and since 2020, Indian and Chinese soldiers have been locked in a military standoff there. Both countries have deployed tens of thousands of troops, supported by artillery, tanks, and fighter jets.
Second Attack Since Elections
Sunday’s attack marked the second targeting of migrant workers in the region since the swearing-in of a largely powerless local government on Wednesday. This follows the first local elections held since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked the region’s semiautonomous status five years ago.
On Friday, police recovered the body of a worker from Bihar, riddled with bullet wounds, from a maize field in southern Shopian district. Authorities suspect that rebels were responsible for the killing.
Since 2021, Kashmir has seen a surge in killings, many targeting workers from other parts of India. Police report that these attacks, which have also claimed the lives of local Muslim village councilors, police officials, and civilians, have been carried out by anti-India rebels.
India and Pakistan both administer parts of Kashmir but claim the entire territory. The two nuclear-armed nations have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947.
Rebels in Kashmir have been fighting Indian rule since 1989, with many Kashmiris supporting the goal of uniting the territory under either Pakistani rule or as an independent nation.
India maintains that the Kashmir insurgency is “Pakistan-sponsored terrorism,” a claim Pakistan denies. Many Kashmiris, however, view the struggle as a fight for freedom. The conflict has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of civilians, rebels, and security personnel.
