Kulgam: The toll in Friday evening’s terrorist attack in the Kellam area of South Kashmir’s Kulgam district went up to two with the second migrant worker succumbing to his injuries on Saturday morning.
The victim was undergoing treatment for serious gunshot injuries at a local hospital, officials said. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, he passed away early this morning, as reported by Republic TV.
Both workers were from Chhattisgarh and have been identified as Deepak Rattray (24) and Bopinder (28).
A case has been registered and security forces have launched a search operation to locate the terrorists, officials said.
Security has also been beefed up across the Valley following this strike on non-locals.
Officials added that security measures have been stepped up across the valley, and operations have been intensified to capture those responsible for the recent attack.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha strongly condemned the terrorist attack and said he has directed security forces to intensify operations and eliminate the terrorists responsible.
In a post on X, Sinha said he spoke with DGP Nalin Prabhat and top security officials following the attack and directed security forces to step up their operations.
This was the second major terror incident in the Valley within the past 10 days, following the fatal shooting of a Jammu and Kashmir Police head constable in Anantnag town on July 22.
The attack also led to condemnation from political parties.
While PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti called the killing of the labourers “unimaginably cruel”, noting they had left their homes simply to earn a living, Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari labeled the assault “tragic and inhuman”.
The People’s Conference denounced the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians as “utterly reprehensible” and offered condolences to the victims’ families.
Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai also condemned the incident, terming the attack “cowardly” and “heartbreaking.”