Labourer from Bihar Shot Dead in North Kashmir's Bandipora

Srinagar: A migrant worker was shot dead by suspected militants in North Kashmir’s Bandipora district last night, officials said on Friday. 

According to Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) police, suspected militants killed Mohd Amrez, a non-local labourer, at Soadnara village in Bandipora’s Sumbal area of North Kashmir. The victim is a resident of the Besarh area of Madhepura district of Bihar. He was reportedly shot from a close range at about 12:30 am. 

He was immediately shifted to the hospital for treatment, however, succumbed to injuries, officials later confirmed. 

“During intervening night, #terrorists fired upon & injured one outside #labourer Mohd Amrez S/O Mohd Jalil R/O Madhepura Besarh #Bihar at Soadnara Sumbal, #Bandipora. He was shifted to hospital for treatment where he succumbed,” the Kashmir Zone Police tweeted. 

This is the third major incident of violence in two days in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory with the death toll reaching eight. Earlier on Thursday morning, in a major Fidayeen attack at an Indian Army camp in the Rajouri area of Jammu, four army soldiers were killed and five others were injured. After the encounter, the forces said they killed two attackers believed to be from Lashkar e Toiba (LeT) outfit. 

The Fidayeen attack came only days ahead of the Independence Day celebrations in the country and amidst heightened security. The attack, however, marks an uptick in militancy-related violence in the South of Pir Panjal region, according to officials in the security establishment. 

The incident came only hours after police claimed to have killed three LeT militants in the Budgam area of central Kashmir including Lateef Rather, who the police said was behind the killings of civilians Rahul Bhat and Amreen Bhat in the same district. 

Friday’s killing comes a week after suspected militants lobbed a grenade on August 4 at a group of non-local labourers in South Kashmir’s Gadoora area of Pulwama. The attack killed one migrant labourer Mohd Mumtaz from Bihar and injured two others – all residents of Bihar. 

At least a dozen migrant labourers have been targeted since March in the valley- killing about four in what is seen as part of a new wave of targeted violence in the region. At least 25 civilians and policemen have been killed in these targeted attacks this year alone. The non-local labourers were first time targeted in October 2019-  two months after the Bhartiya Janata Paty (BJP) led government abrogated Article 370 and 35 A.

Since then over 120 civilians are reported to have been killed in the region including members of the minority communities and non-local workers.