The Kulgam terror attack has claimed two lives after gunmen questioned migrant workers about their identities before opening fire. Two suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists walked up to a brick kiln in the Kelam area of Kulgam district on Friday evening and asked the labourers to present their names.
According to police sources, the attackers then separated two Hindu workers from the group and shot them at close range. The Kulgam terror attack matters because its method closely mirrors the April 2025 Pahalgam attack, where victims were also singled out before being killed.
Who were the victims of the Kulgam terror attack?
Deepak Ratray, 24, and Bopinder, 28, both migrant labourers from Chhattisgarh, were the targets. Ratray died at the scene, while Bopinder was rushed to the Government Medical College in Anantnag with critical injuries. He succumbed on Saturday, August 1, after surgery, taking the toll in the Kulgam terror attack to two. Both men had travelled to Kashmir for work, joining thousands of non-local labourers employed at construction sites, brick kilns and farms across the Valley. The Chhattisgarh government will provide financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh each to the families of the two deceased.
How is the Kulgam terror attack linked to the Pahalgam attack?
Intelligence agencies have established a direct link between the Kulgam terror attack and Sajid Jutt, a Lahore-based Lashkar-e-Taiba strategic commander who was also the key handler behind the Pahalgam attack. Jutt reportedly lived in Kulgam district between 2005 and 2007, giving him detailed knowledge of the area. The Resistance Front, an LeT proxy, has claimed responsibility for the Kulgam shooting. The National Investigation Agency had earlier named Jutt as a key conspirator in its chargesheet on the Pahalgam case, filed in December 2025.
What happened in the 2025 Pahalgam attack?
The Pahalgam attack took place on April 22, 2025, when armed terrorists opened fire on tourists at Baisaran meadow, killing 26 civilians and injuring around 20 others. Most victims were tourists, and survivors said the attackers asked people their names and religion before shooting. The NIA chargesheet described it as a Pakistan-based conspiracy carried out through Lashkar-e-Taiba and The Resistance Front. The attack triggered a sharp deterioration in India-Pakistan relations and led to India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
Why does the pattern of this attack worry security agencies?
- The Kulgam terror attack is the first fatal terrorist attack on migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir in nearly 21 months
- The last such killing occurred in Shopian in October 2024
- The attack took place days before August 5, the anniversary of the 2019 abrogation of Article 370, though officials have not confirmed any link to the date
- Migrant labourers are considered vulnerable targets since they often live in lightly guarded settlements
What has been the official & political response?
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha convened a security review after the Kulgam terror attack, and security forces launched a search operation to trace the attackers.
National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, speaking to reporters in Baramulla on August 1, 2026, called for a fair and impartial investigation into the killings. He also questioned why such incidents kept occurring alongside demands for restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said repeated attacks raised questions about claims that terrorism would end after the abrogation of Article 370.
The Kulgam terror attack has left two families in Chhattisgarh mourning and reopened questions about the safety of migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir. With intelligence agencies linking the attack to the same handler behind the Pahalgam massacre, the investigation is expected to focus on cross-border networks operating in South Kashmir. Security forces continue their search for the attackers as of this report.