The terror attack came at a time when a foreign delegation is visiting Jammu and Kashmir.
Highlights
- All the victims belonged to Sagardighi in Bengal's Murshidabad district
- Another man injured in the attack was taken to Anantnag district hospital
- Attack came amid rising hostilities against non-Kashmiris in the region
Five labourers were killed and another injured in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district on Tuesday. All of them were from West Bengal. The incident came a day after terrorists shot a truck driver in Anantnag district and targeted people waiting at a bus stand in Sopore. Earlier in the afternoon, terrorists had fired indiscriminately at paramilitary personnel deployed at a school in Pulwama district.
"We have rushed a police party headed by the Deputy Inspector General of South Kashmir," Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police Dilbag Singh told NDTV, adding that multiple bodies have been recovered.
Police said that the labourers, belonging to Sagardighi in West Bengal's Murshidabad, were at a local resident's home when the terrorists attacked. Of the five labourers, three were identified as Sheikh Kamrudin, Sheikh Mohammed Rafiq and Sheikh Murnsulin. The injured man, Zahooruddin, was taken to the Anantnag district hospital for treatment.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that all necessary help will be given to the families of the labourers. "We are shocked and deeply saddened at the brutal killings in Kashmir. Five workers from Murshidabad lost their lives. Words will not take away the grief of the families of the deceased. All help will be extended to the families in this tragic situation," Ms Banerjee tweeted.
The attack occurred on a day when a delegation of European Union parliamentarians is visiting Jammu and Kashmir to get first-hand knowledge of the situation there.
Security forces have cordoned off the area and launched a massive search operation. Additional security forces have also been called in.
Terrorists have been targeting truck drivers and labourers belonging to other states ever since the centre stripped Jammu and Kashmir of its special status through a presidential order on August 5. As many as four non-local truck drivers were shot dead by terrorists across Kashmir between October 14 and 28. In the most recent case, which occurred on Monday, they killed an Udhampur resident who was transporting apples through Anantnag.