Anantnag Terror Attack In the first major targeted terrorist attack in the Kashmir Valley since the deadly Pahalgam incident, a Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel was shot dead in broad daylight at Anantnag’s bustling Lal Chowk market. The victim, identified as Head Constable Aashiq Hussain Qureshi of the 3rd Battalion India Reserve Police (IRP), was stationed on the crucial Lal ChowkKokernag axis as part of the security grid for the ongoing Amarnath Yatra. The assailant approached the police team around 1230 PM, fired at pointblank range, and escaped into the crowd, prompting security forces to launch a massive search and cordon operation.
Anantnag Terror Attack – Cold-Blooded Market Attack Caught on Camera
Visuals captured on local surveillance cameras showed the assailant calmly walking up to the police team deployed in the busy market before opening fire at close range and fleeing on a motorcycle. Head Constable Qureshi, a resident of Lalpora village in Budgam, suffered critical bullet wounds and was rushed to the Government Medical College Hospital in Anantnag, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Following the shooting, additional reinforcements from the police, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and Indian Army cordoned off the entire town and set up high-alert checkpoints along National Highway 44.
Anantnag Terror Attack – TRF Claims Responsibility as Political Leaders Condemn Strike
The Resistance Front (TRF), an active proxy group linked to the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), claimed responsibility for the targeted killing through a social media statement. Condemning the act, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah both expressed deep condolences to the martyred officer’s family and vowed that the perpetrators would face swift justice. Chief Minister Abdullah emphasized that such cowardly strikes against security forces and public order would never intimidate the administration or weaken the state’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the region.
Anantnag Terror Attack – Heightened Vigilance Along Amarnath Yatra Route
The targeted shooting occurred at a time when the annual Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage was suspended owing to heavy rainfall and severe landslide warnings across the Pahalgam and Baltal routes. Security across the valley—particularly around transit hubs, base camps, and pilgrim corridors—has been elevated to maximum alert. Investigators are currently conducting intelligence sweeps and questioning suspects in Anantnag to determine whether the lone gunman acted with a broader local underground support network.