From 2000 To 2026: Migrant Workers In Kashmir Remain In Terror's Crosshairs
From 2000 To 2026: Migrant Workers In Kashmir Remain In Terror's Crosshairs Reported By, Last Updated: August 02, 2026, 02:38 IST Officials say such attacks
From 2000 To 2026: Migrant Workers In Kashmir Remain In Terror's Crosshairs Reported By, Last Updated: August 02, 2026, 02:38 IST Officials say such attacks are intended not only to kill but also to spread fear and discourage migrant workers from coming to the Valley 26 years later, around the same date, terrorists have once again targeted migrant workers in Kulgam, killing two labourers from Chhattisgarh who were employed at a brick kiln. File pic/PTI On August 1, 2000, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of the deadliest days in its history, as a series of coordinated terrorist attacks left more than 100 people dead, including Amarnath pilgrims, migrant labourers and civilians, at six different locations in less than 12 hours. It was one of the bloodiest episodes of civilian violence in the region, targeting pilgrims, migrant workers, villagers and families across multiple districts. Among the attacks was the massacre of migrant labourers working at brick kilns in Qazigund in Kulgam and Achabal in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district. According to survivors, the attackers entered the labour camps during the night in 2000, ordered the male workers to step outside, separated them from the women, and then opened indiscriminate fire. Twenty-seven labourers, most of them from Bihar, were killed. Now, 26 years later, around the same date, terrorists have once again targeted migrant workers in Kulgam, killing two labourers from Chhattisgarh who were employed at a brick kiln.
On Friday evening, gunfire shattered the routine at the brick kiln after the workers had finished their day’s work. Deepak Ratre, 24, and Bhupendra, 28, were shot at close range in the upper body. Deepak was declared brought dead at the hospital, while Bhupendra was referred to a hospital in Srinagar, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Brick kilns in Kashmir have long depended on seasonal migrant workers from states such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Every year, thousands travel to the Valley to work in brick manufacturing, construction, horticulture and other sectors. In Hablish, a village near Kilam, where the two labourers were killed, it was anything but a normal day at the K2 brick kiln. Workers from Uttar Pradesh had not resumed their regular work following the attack. “We were unaware of the incident. We get tired after working all day and sleep early. The owner has told us not to step outside," Owais, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh, told News18, explaining that economic hardship leaves them with little choice but to work in Kashmir. “Each kiln has at least 50 workers, and almost all of them are from outside the Union Territory," he said, adding that despite the attack, they were not living in fear.
The BriefWire