Fear Grips Kashmiri Village Where Indian Migrant Workers Killed dhakatribune.com

A sixth migrant, who survived the attack and is recovering in hospital in Kashmir’s capital Srinagar, told Reuters that the assailants were men who barged into a rented room he and the five other migrants had been living in

Locals in the Kashmiri village where five Indian migrant laborers were killed by gunmen last week say they are living in fear of militant groups as well as the subsequent crackdown by security forces.

The five migrants, from India’s eastern state of West Bengal, were shot dead by militants in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on October 28, the latest casualties in a conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives over the last three decades.

A sixth migrant, who survived the attack and is recovering in hospital in Kashmir’s capital Srinagar, told Reuters that the assailants were men who barged into a rented room he and the five other migrants had been living in, above a shop in the Katrasoo village of Kulgam.

Tensions in Muslim-majority Kashmir, claimed by India and Pakistan, have been especially elevated since New Delhi stripped its portion on the region of autonomy and statehood on August 5.

Indian authorities restricted communications to the region and arrested thousands of people in a bid to prevent unrest. Some have since been released.