Security stepped up for migrant workers after Kulgam attack
Security being strengthened in vulnerable areas of Kashmir Valley where the concentration of migrant workers is high
Two days after two migrant workers were killed in a terror attack in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, the civil administration, along with the J&K Police, has initiated a series of measures to ensure a secure environment, particularly for migrant workers employed across the Kashmir Valley.
Two workers from Chhattisgarh were critically injured after a lone militant opened fire on them in the Kelam area of Kulgam on Friday evening. The labourers were shifted to a hospital, where they later succumbed to their injuries.
As the J&K Police faces scrutiny over the terror attack—the second in 10 days—and a massive manhunt has been launched to trace the assailant, sources told The Tribune that several measures are being implemented to prevent such incidents.
Sources said security is being strengthened in vulnerable areas of the Valley where the concentration of migrant workers is high. “Directions have been issued to ensure adequate deployment of security forces in these areas,” sources said, adding that area domination has been intensified, with greater emphasis on night patrolling.
Sources also said steps are being taken to ensure that details of migrant workers are registered with the local police and district authorities.
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On Saturday, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha directed all Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police to conduct a comprehensive review of the Standard Operating Procedures put in place for the protection of labourers from outside Jammu and Kashmir. He also directed employers to ensure that all workers from other states and Union Territories are provided insurance cover.
Many in the Valley, however, believe it is not feasible to provide security to every migrant worker given their large numbers across Kashmir.
Sources, however, maintained that all necessary steps are being taken to ensure such incidents do not recur in the Valley.
Thousands of migrant workers engaged in different sectors arrive in Kashmir every year around March and return to their native places by October. They are currently employed across the Valley in construction, apple orchards, paddy fields and several other sectors.
