Kulgam terror attack: LG orders SOP review for migrant workers, CM announces ₹16 lakh relief

A day after two migrant labourers from Chhattisgarh were killed in a terror attack in Kulgam, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha chaired a high-level security review meeting and directed a comprehensive audit of safety measures for outside labourers across Jammu and Kashmir. He asked Deputy Commissioners and SSPs to review existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), ensure registration of migrant workers with local authorities, and make insurance coverage mandatory through employers.

The LG also called for intensified anti-terror operations, strengthened security arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra, and directed officials to provide all possible support to the families of the victims, including ensuring dignified last rites.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the killings as a "dastardly" act and announced an ex-gratia of ₹10 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the families of the deceased, in addition to ₹6 lakh each from the district administration.

According to intelligence sources, preliminary investigations indicate that the attack was carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-backed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

According to the investigation, two attackers arrived on a motorcycle near a brick kiln in Kelam village around 8:30 pm on Friday and opened fire at close range before fleeing. Eyewitness accounts and evidence recovered from the scene indicate the involvement of two terrorists.

A joint cordon-and-search operation involving the Indian Army, CRPF and Jammu and Kashmir Police is underway to track down those responsible.

Residents of Dooru in Anantnag, including members of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, held a peaceful protest condemning the killing of the two labourers. Carrying placards and raising slogans against terrorism, protesters demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible and called for stronger security measures to protect workers in the Valley.

Peoples Democratic Party president Mehbooba Mufti condemned the attack, saying, "Unequivocally condemn the killing of two labourers from Chhattisgarh in Kulgam. They work themselves to the bone far away from home only to feed their families. It is unimaginably cruel to target them in such senseless acts of violence."

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah also expressed deep sorrow over the incident and called for a thorough and transparent investigation into the killings. He described the incident as deeply concerning and stressed the need to establish the facts behind the attack.