On January 28, 2025, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out massive raids in several Kashmiri locations as part of an investigation into the deliberate killings of migrant workers. These raids are connected to the February 7, 2024, shooting deaths of Amritpal Singh and Rohit Masih, two Punjabi non-local workers, who were murdered by militants in the Shalla Kadal neighborhood of Srinagar.
Six locations in the districts of Baramulla, Budgam, and Srinagar were searched by the NIA.
A terror conspiracy involving militants from the Resistance Front (TRF), a group connected to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), is being looked into by the agency. Four terrorists, including a handler based in Pakistan, were named in a chargesheet submitted in August 2024.
According to reports, during the raids, which targeted homes connected to militant groups’ sympathizers and operatives, incriminating materials were found.
Based on the information that is currently available, one of the raids targeted two other locations in Sopore as well as the home of a prominent Srinagar business family with Sopore roots.
Documents and electronic devices were confiscated for additional examination. Following the repeal of Article 370, targeted attacks against migrant workers, including truck drivers, started.
Similar attacks have also claimed the lives of a restaurant owner and a few employees from outside Kashmir in addition to migrant workers. A well-known Kashmiri Pandit, a chemist, and a Sikh woman who served as a school principal were also killed in the attacks.
Following these assaults, the NIA and police stepped up their efforts to target the organizations responsible.
Concerns about the safety and security of migrant workers in the area have been raised by violence against them, which is being addressed by Indian authorities through this operation.
