3 min readSrinagarOct 31, 2023 03:27 AM IST
First published on: Oct 30, 2023 at 01:31 PM IST
A man from Uttar Pradesh, working as a labourer in South Kashmir’s Pulwama, was on Monday shot dead by suspected militants – the first such targeted killing in the Valley this year. The attack came a day after a police officer was critically injured in a militant attack in Srinagar.
Police identified the victim as Mukesh Kumar.
J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha called the attack “cowardly” and said those responsible will not go unpunished.
In a social media post, the J&K Police said: “Terrorists fired on a labourer in Tumchi Nowpora area of Pulwama, who later on succumbed to his injuries. Area cordoned off.”
Police sources said Kumar worked at a brick kiln and had gone to the nearby shop to buy essentials when militants fired at him from point-blank range. Three bullets were fired targeting his chest and head, sources said.
Tumchi village falls on the border of Pulwama and Budgam districts, and houses several brick kilns that employ migrant labourers. The killing triggered fresh fears among workers even as police and paramilitary forces took measures to ensure their safety. Last year, too, a brick kiln worker was killed at Batapora village of Budgam, not far from Tumchi village.
On Sunday, inspector Masroor Ahmad was shot at and critically injured in Srinagar while he was playing cricket in Srinagar’s Eidgah ground.
Earlier this year, on July 13, three migrant workers from Bihar were injured when militants fired at them in South Kashmir’s Shopian.
While attacks on migrant labourers started in the Valley in 2019 after abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, the attacks saw an uptick in 2022. Last year, 10 people from outside the state, including a bank manager from Rajasthan and a teacher, were killed and over a dozen injured in a series of militant attacks, mostly in south Kashmir.
“I strongly condemn the despicable and cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama. Heartfelt condolences to the family of Mukesh Kumar. We are firmly resolved to eliminate the terrorist menace that continues to receive encouragement and reinforcement from across the border,” an official statement quoted Lt Governor Sinha as saying.
Security has been tightened in Pulwama after the labourer was shot dead on Monday. (Video screengrab/ANI) 
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