Kulgam terror attack exposes continuing threat to migrant workers in Kashmir
Migrant workers in the Kashmir Valley continue to be treated as soft targets by terrorists, even years after the abrogation of Article 370 and a sustained Union government campaign to dismantle the terror ecosystem.
Despite intensified security measures, labourers from outside the region have been killed in cold blood at regular intervals.
The terrorists responsible for the Kulgam attack used the same modus operandi as in the horrific Pahalgam attack last year.
The family of one of the two Chhattisgarh labourers killed in the Kulgam terror attack has alleged that the attackers asked the victims about their identity and religion before mercilessly killing them in cold blood.
The Resistance Front (TRF), widely regarded as a proxy of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Migrant workers were targeted after the Abrogation of Article 370
Immediately after the Abrogation of Article 370, 11 migrant workers were killed in a series of targeted strikes in October 2019.
The most provocative strike took place on October 29, coinciding with the visit of 23 Members of European Parliament to Kashmir, in which six non-local labourers were killed in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district. The migrant workers killed in the attack hailed from Murshidabad in West Bengal.
Every time a non-local worker was targeted, the security apparatus was beefed up, and extra vigil was maintained to hunt down the perpetrators behind the attack.
After a gap, as complacency set in, these migrant workers were targeted again to scare them away.
During the same period, the terrorists also targeted apple growers and Kashmiri Pandit migrants.
According to police, two truck drivers, ferrying apple boxes, were killed and their trucks were set on fire by the terrorists in the Mool Chitragam Kalan area of Shopian on October 24, 2019.
Every year, a large number of migrant workers travel to different parts of the Kashmir Valley in search of a livelihood. They are engaged as brick kiln workers, agricultural labourers, carpenters, electricians, construction workers, street vendors, and workforce at eateries, etc.
After a brief lull, the migrant workers were once again targeted in the heart of Srinagar in 2021. According to police records, migrant workers were targeted in October 2021 in Kulgam and Srinagar. The street vendors were targeted in the Lal Bazar and Eidgah area of Srinagar.
The worst attacks took place in 2022 when several Kashmiri Pandits and a local TV artist also came on the radar of terrorists. A Kashmir Pandit employee, Rahul Bhat, was killed inside his office in the Chadoora area of Budgam on May 12, 2022. It was followed by another attack in which a local TV artist, Amreen Bhat, was killed in Budgam on May 25. Less than a week later, school teacher Rajni Bala was killed in Kulgam on May 31.
In 2024, multiple targeted killings were executed by the terrorists across different parts of the Kashmir Valley after the formation of the popular government led by Omar Abdullah. Several incidents of targeted killings took place across different districts of the Kashmir Valley.
On October 20, 2024, six non-local labourers and a local doctor were gunned down by the terrorists at a tunnel construction site in the Gagangir area of Ganderbal. Migrant workers were targeted in Budgam, Shopian and Pulwama.
LG Sinha directed authorities to intensify anti-terror operations
Responding to the recent killing of non-local brick kiln workers from Chhattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level security review meeting to fine-tune the counter-strategy.
LG Sinha directed authorities to intensify anti-terror operations, strengthen security arrangements across the Union Territory, and ensure enhanced protection for labourers from outside Jammu and Kashmir.
Today, chaired a high-level review meeting on the security situation across J&K UT with the Chief Secretary, DGP, Principal Secretary, Home, ADGP CID, senior police and civil administration officers, DCs and SSPs. pic.twitter.com/85meYBgQnf
— Manoj Sinha (@manojsinha_) August 1, 2026
According to a spokesman of the Lok Bhavan, the Lieutenant Governor instructed all Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police to conduct a comprehensive review of the Standard Operating Procedures established to safeguard migrant labourers.
Security agencies have been asked to step up vigilance in areas employing outside workers, particularly construction and brick-kiln sites that have previously been targeted.
Farooq Abdullah questions timing of Kulgar terror attack
Meanwhile, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah has once again raised the issue of targeted killings of non-local workers in the valley by linking such attacks to the fact that they seem to occur whenever the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood gains momentum.
“I do not know why such incidents happen whenever we are demanding statehood,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar on Saturday.
‘Why Do Such Attacks Occur Whenever We Seek Statehood?’ Farooq Abdullah Questions After Kulgam Killings pic.twitter.com/qOg703GDPr
— Kashmir News Trust༝ (@newsagencyknt) August 1, 2026
Describing the incident as deeply unfortunate, Dr Abdullah also called for a fair and impartial investigation to identify those responsible.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah said it was essential to ascertain who was behind the attack. “It is deeply unfortunate. We do not know who killed them, and we do not know who the perpetrators are. There should be a thorough and honest investigation to identify those responsible,” he said.
#WATCH | Jammu, J&K: On National Conference President Farooq Abdullah’s statement, BJP leader Ravinder Raina says, “He is a very responsible person, and in the context of the terror attack that took place in Kulgam, Farooq Abdullah made a highly controversial statement that is… pic.twitter.com/NO2wgw9NBm
— ANI (@ANI) August 1, 2026
Responding to the remarks made by Dr Farooq Abdullah, former BJP J&K Unit Chief Ravinder Raina said, “He is a very responsible person, and in the context of the terror attack that took place in Kulgam, Farooq Abdullah made a deeply unfortunate and highly controversial statement. “When innocent labourers are brutally murdered by terrorists, the nation expects every political leader to stand united against terrorism, not to make any speculative statements, not to create confusion, or to divert attention from the perpetrators. He is just justifying this terror attack and relating this attack to statehood. This is highly condemnable“.
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