Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference president and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah has demanded a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the terrorist attack in Kulgam that killed two workers, raising questions over why such incidents repeatedly occur whenever the demand for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood gains momentum.
Abdullah said the circumstances surrounding the attack remain unclear and insisted that investigators establish who carried out the killings and how the assault was executed. He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
The attack took place on Friday evening at a brick kiln in Kulgam's Kelam area, where Chhattisgarh natives Deepak Ratre and Bopinder were shot by terrorists. Ratre died before reaching the hospital, while Bopinder succumbed to his injuries after being shifted from GMC Anantnag to SKIMS Srinagar for advanced treatment.
The incident comes days after Jammu and Kashmir Police Head Constable Ashiq Hussain, deployed on Amarnath Yatra duty, was killed in a militant firing in Anantnag's Lal Chowk on July 22.
Cabinet Minister Javed Rana and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary also questioned the timing of the Kulgam attack. Rana alleged that agencies opposed to the restoration of statehood could have had a role, while Choudhary called for a thorough investigation into the killings, saying every possible angle, including any external involvement, must be examined.
Abdullah has also recently voiced disappointment over the INDIA alliance's failure to strongly back the demand to restore Jammu and Kashmir's statehood, particularly with the Congress party's support.