7 killed, 5 injured in Gagangeer terror attack

Srinagar, Oct 20: Seven persons including six labourers and a doctor were killed and five others were injured in a militant attack in the Gagangeer area of Ganderbal district while a manhunt was launched to track the attackers.

The incident occurred in the Gagangeer area of Ganderbal on Sunday evening after militants whose number is being investigated attacked a barrack of labourers.

“Seven persons have been killed in a terrorist attack in Gangangeer,” Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vidhi Kumar Birdi told Greater Kashmir. “These included non-local and local persons.”

He said that three persons died initially while four others died while they were being shifted to a medical facility.

Another senior Police officer said that the militants fired indiscriminately at the camp, which housed workers of a company engaged in constructing the Z-Morh tunnel at Gagangeer on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.

“A massive search operation is underway in the area,” he said.

“Terror incident in Gagangeer, Ganderbal. Area cordoned off by security forces,” Kashmir Zone Police said in a post on X.

The dead have been identified as Gurmeet Singh, son of Dharam Singh of Gurdaspur, Punjab; Dr Shahnawaz Qadir Dar of Nadigam, Budgam; Anil Kumar Shukla; Faheem Nazir; Shashi Abrol of Jammu; and Muhammad Hanif and Muhammad Kaleem of Bihar.

The injured have been identified as 35-year-old labourer Inder Yadav, son of Gareeb Dass of Bihar; 45-year-old labourer Mohan Lal, son of Soum Nath of Kathua; 30-year-old driver Ishfaq Ahmad Bhat, son of Abdul Ahad Bhat of Safapora, and 36-year-old Jagtar Singh, son of Suresh Singh of Kathua, all admitted at SKIMS, Soura, and 25-year-old Mushtaq Ahmad Lone, son of Zahoor Ahmad of Preng.

The Police and Army have cordoned off the area to track the attackers.

The district has largely remained calm, and the area where the gunfire erupted has experienced peace for the past two decades.

Videos of the incident are going viral on social media.

Graphic footage showed two people, both men and dressed for winter, lying in a pool of blood near the campsite.

The Z-Morh tunnel is being built between Srinagar and Sonamarg, bypassing the avalanche-prone area near Gagangeer.

This aims to provide connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg, and it is nearing completion.

Senior Police officers including IGP Birdi and DIG Central Kashmir Rajiv Omprakash Pande reached the spot to assess the situation.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the number of casualties in the attack may go up.

"The casualty figure from the Gagangeer attack is not final as there are several injured labourers, both local and non-local. Praying that the injured make a full recovery as the more seriously injured are being referred to SKIMS, Srinagar," he said in a post on X.

Abdullah condemned the attack, which came barely four days after he was sworn in as the chief minister of the Union Territory.

"Very sad news of a dastardly and 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 and 2-3 more have been injured in this militant attack. I strongly condemn this attack on unarmed innocent people and send my condolences to their loved ones," he said in another post on the microblogging platform.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the heinous terror attack on civilians. "I assure the people that those behind this despicable act will not go unpunished. We have given full freedom to J&K Police, Army and security forces," Sinha said in a post on X.

In a post on X, People's Conference President Sajad Gani Lone said, “Strongly condemn the dastardly act of terror wherein two persons have lost their lives in Sonamarg. This is an insane act of madness. My thoughts are with these two families. May the perpetrators be brought to justice.”

Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra expressed grave concern over the attack and said such incidents will vitiate the atmosphere in J&K.

He urged the government to take immediate measures to prevent such brutal attacks on innocent labourers.

The attack occurred two days after a labourer was shot dead in the Shopian district of south Kashmir.