Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday visited the Budgam residence of Shahnawaz Dar who along with six others was killed in a terrorist attack in Ganderbal.

He spent time with the bereaved family and condemned the terror attack that was aimed to disrupt peace in J&K.

He said “We will not allow such cowardly acts of violence to overshadow the spirit of harmony in Jammu and Kashmir”. Security forces have intensified operations to track down those involved in the Ganderbal attack, he added.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) J&K President Mohamad Yousuf Tarigami has demanded adequate compensation to the families of migrant workers who died in the Ganderbal incident. He also demanded free of cost and specialized treatment to those injured in the incident.

He urged the government to arrange airlifting the bodies of deceased workers to their home destinations, allowing their families to perform the last rites promptly.

A candlelight march was held at Kupwara to protest against the killing of seven civilians in a terror attack at a construction site in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal.

The civil society Kupwara, took to the streets on Monday evening and held a candlelight march to denounce the civilian killings. The protesting members collectively denounced the killings, which they believe are against the spirit of humanity.

As a mark of protest, the civil society Kupwara held a candlelight march from the bus stand, passed through by-pass, culminating at martyr’s memorial Rigipora, expressing their sympathies with the families of the innocent civilians of the target killings by militants.

They demanded punishment for the perpetrators involved in the attack.

Meanwhile, the Ganderbal Police and the divisional administration of Kashmir described the social media posts as completely baseless after the PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on X; “After the barbaric attack at Sonamarg there are reports that the local admin is pressurising non local labourers to leave the valley immediately. While I understand their obvious sense of panic, asking them to leave in this manner is not a solution. Will only create more difficulties & send a very bad message to the country. J&K recently witnessed peaceful terror free elections & this knee jerk reaction will only prove otherwise. Might also cause outrage against Kashmiris working & studying in other states. Request Chief Minister @OmarAbdullah & LG @manojsinha_ ji to intervene & at least give them enough time”.

Reacting to her post, the divisional administration said such rumours hold no merit.

An official statement said that the Divisional Administration has informed that it has taken all the required measures to ensure safety and security of non-local workers in the Valley.

The rumours spread on social media platforms regarding the Administration pressurizing non-local workers to leave the Valley are false.

The Administration asked everyone to desist from amplifying the unfounded rumours and sought cooperation of locals to defeat the agenda of vested interested individuals to derail peace in the Valley. The Administration reiterated its commitment to ensure safety of non-local workers.