India to move some migrant workers in occupied Kashmir to army camps after killings

Published October 17, 2021
Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard on a road leading towards the site of a gunfight in Pampore, south of Srinagar, Saturday, Oct 16. — AP
Indian paramilitary soldiers stand guard on a road leading towards the site of a gunfight in Pampore, south of Srinagar, Saturday, Oct 16. — AP

Vulnerable Indian migrant workers in occupied Kashmir will be moved to army and police camps for protection after several were killed by fighters, the region's police chief said on Sunday.

Vijay Kumar said he had instructed his officers to move workers after three labourers from the eastern state of Bihar were shot in their rented accommodation on Sunday, two of whom died.

“I have directed officers to shift the vulnerable urgently,” he told Reuters.

It was not immediately clear how many of the tens of thousands of Indians from other states who are working in occupied Kashmir would be affected, or if they would be confined in the camps or if the directive was compulsory.

Nobody has yet claimed responsibility for Sunday's killings, or for an incident the previous day in which two other migrant workers were shot dead.

Indian-occupied Kashmir has witnessed a decades-long armed insurrection that has only begun targeting migrant workers in recent weeks.

Opinion

Editorial

A new deal
Updated 16 Jun, 2026

A new deal

AFTER three and a half months of war between US-Israel and Iran and an acrimonious temporary ceasefire, a genuine...
Charter of economy
16 Jun, 2026

Charter of economy

NO one expected the PTI to accept the government’s invitation to sign a charter of economy; just as few expected...
Hostage seamen
16 Jun, 2026

Hostage seamen

SOME 50 days on, 11 Pakistani nationals are still in Somali pirates’ captivity. Their appeals to the Pakistani and...
Climate choices
Updated 15 Jun, 2026

Climate choices

The country is confronting increasingly volatile weather patterns with consequences for agriculture, infrastructure, public health and economic planning.
Brief opening
15 Jun, 2026

Brief opening

WE have been here before. Throughout the weekend, there was great anticipation that a tentative framework for peace...
Environmental disaster
15 Jun, 2026

Environmental disaster

IT was a heartbreaking sight. A recent news report in these pages carried a picture of a sea turtle lying half ...