Overview
- Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a brick kiln in Kulgam's Kellam area on Friday evening, killing one worker on arrival and fatally wounding a second who later died in hospital.
- Both victims were identified as men from Chhattisgarh and were singled out from a group of migrant labourers at the work site, according to police accounts.
- Security forces immediately cordoned the area and launched wide-ranging cordon-and-search and forensic inquiries to track the attackers.
- Authorities have reported a claim of responsibility attributed to The Resistance Front and said investigators are pursuing leads including a named suspect, but formal attribution remains under investigation.
- Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha ordered stepped-up operations, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah announced ex-gratia payments to the families, and the attack has raised renewed concern about the safety of migrant workers in south Kashmir given recent militant incidents.