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Kashmir police look to move migrants to ‘safer areas’
Many migrant workers were being moved to safer places in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district and some areas of south Kashmir
Srinagar The Jammu & Kashmir Police late on Sunday were moving non-local labourers in several areas to “safer areas”, hours after two civilians from outside the Union Territory were killed in the latest of a string of such attacks in the Valley, people aware of the matter said.
An official, who asked not to be named, said that many non-local workers were being moved to safer places in Ganderbal district and some areas of south Kashmir. The official added that in some areas, the police were asked to remain ready for any such evacuation.
While news agency Reuters quoted inspector general of police Vijay Kumar as saying that he instructed his officers to move workers, the top official separately said no formal order had been issued. “I have directed officers to shift the vulnerable urgently,” he told Reuters.
The Press Trust of India, meanwhile, said that in a message flashed to all district police in the Valley, Kumar said: “All non-local labourers in your respective jurisdiction should be brought to the nearest police or central paramilitary force or army establishment just now.” “The matter is most urgent,” the message to the 10 districts in the Valley said.
This was the third terror attack on non-local workers in the region in 24 hours. A street vendor from Bihar and a carpenter from Uttar Pradesh were shot dead by terrorists on Saturday evening.
So far this month, 11 people have lost their lives in shootings targeting civilians. “Terrorists fired indiscriminately upon #NonLocal labourers at Wanpoh area of #Kulgam. In this #terror incident, 02 non-locals were killed and 01 injured,” Kashmir zone Police said on its Twitter handle.
Another official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the police in many areas had started preparing lists of migrant workers and their residential accommodations in different parts of Kashmir.
