Baramulla, Oct 25 (KNO): In a deadly attack near the Line of Control (LoC) in the Botapathri area of Gulmarg in Baramulla district, two civilian porters from Boniyar tehsil and three soldiers lost their lives, leaving two villages in mourning. The attack, one of the deadliest in the area, has left families grappling with the loss of their sole breadwinners.
The slain porters have been identified as Mushtaq Ahmed Chaudhary of Nowshera and Zahoor Ahmed Mir of Barnate — both from Boniyar.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, took the lives of five people, sparking an outpouring of grief and fear among residents, while villagers describe the two slain porters, hailing from separate villages in Boniyar, as hardworking men who had left their homes to provide for their families, struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s very unfortunate, and such incidents, which devastate families, should not happen at any cost. This cycle of violence needs to stop here,” residents urged.
The mourning villagers called on the government to take swift action to protect civilians, saying the losses have left families in crisis. They have appealed to the government to support families who have lost their breadwinners.
“Both men were the sole earners for their families, facing difficult financial circumstances but determined to support their loved ones,” said a neighbour of Zahoor Ahmed Mir, one of the killed porters from Barnate, Boniyar.
Pertinently, this attack is the second major incident in recent weeks, following a previous terror strike in Gagangir, Ganderbal, where seven people, including a doctor from Budgam, were killed.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, Minga Sherpa visited the families of slain porters and extended condolences besides financial support.
The DC, who was accompanied by Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Uri, Javaid Ahmad visited the Nowshera and Barnate villages of Boniyar and presented compensation cheques of 6 lakh rupees to each family as an immediate relief to support them through this period of loss—(KNO)