Gunmen attacked a construction site work camp in the Gagangir area of Sonamarg, India-occupied Kashmir, killing seven people and wounding several others, Indian media reported on Monday. The attack, which occurred late Sunday, is one of the worst targeting civilians in the contested region this year.
The assailants opened fire on laborers, many of whom were non-locals, working on a tunnel project connecting Kashmir to the northern Ladakh region. Among the victims was a doctor, according to the Press Trust of India (PTI). Several others sustained injuries during the attack, which left the local community in shock.
Omar Abdullah, recently sworn in as the region’s chief minister after a decade-long gap in local elections, condemned the attack, labeling it as “dastardly and cowardly.” He also expressed concern for the injured, many of whom are laborers from outside the region. Abdullah initially reported two deaths but later confirmed the rising toll.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah also issued a strong statement, calling the attack a “despicable act of cowardice” and vowing that those responsible would face “the harshest response” from security forces. Shah’s remarks echoed the ongoing tensions in the region, where Indian security forces are deployed in large numbers to combat resistance fighters.
The attack highlights the ongoing instability in the region since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked Kashmir’s limited autonomy in 2019. Critics argue that the move has led to the suppression of political freedoms, while Modi’s administration claims it has curbed militant activity.
The recent violence follows the killing of nine Indian Hindu pilgrims in June, when a gunman opened fire on a bus carrying them from a shrine in Reasi district. India continues to accuse Pakistan of supporting fighters in the region, an allegation Islamabad denies.
The latest attack underscores the continuing violence and fragile security situation in India-occupied Kashmir, where tens of thousands of civilians, soldiers, and resistance fighters have been killed since 1989.
