Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary on Saturday, 1 August publicly questioned the security establishment over fresh terror attacks in the Union Territory, demanding a high-level inquiry into the killings and calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to intervene directly.

What Triggered the Demand

The Deputy Chief Minister's remarks came a day after two migrant labourers were shot dead in the Devsar area of Kulgam and one soldier was martyred in Anantnag. Choudhary said the back-to-back incidents forced a hard question: how were armed groups still operating in a region that security agencies had repeatedly declared free of active militancy.

'Yesterday in Kulgam, two of our labourers were killed; they had come to Jammu and Kashmir for their livelihood. Just a few days before that, one of our soldiers was martyred in Anantnag,' he said. 'If there is no terrorism, then where do these people come from? How did they enter India?'

Choudhary's Central Argument

The Deputy Chief Minister acknowledged the historical record of J&K security forces and the Jammu and Kashmir Police, crediting them with dismantling peak militancy and 'successfully eliminating the threats posed by Pakistan.' However, he argued that the same agencies' recent public assurances — including the reported scaling-back of politician convoys on the grounds that the threat had subsided — made the renewed violence harder to explain.

'The agencies, security forces and J&K DGP themselves say that terrorism has ended in J&K; you have started cutting short the convoys of politicians. If there is no terrorism or militancy in J&K, then how were these two labourers in Kulgam killed?' he said. 'The security forces need to answer this now.'

Statehood Link and Pakistan Angle

Choudhary also raised a pointed political observation, suggesting that violent incidents appeared to recur whenever the question of restoring J&K's statehood gained momentum. 'Whenever we raise the issue of statehood, such incidents start happening; then they start saying that this isn't the appropriate time to grant statehood to J&K,' he said, urging the Centre to identify those attempting to destabilise the region.

He stopped short of directly attributing responsibility but added that if Pakistan were found to be behind the attacks, 'there should be strict action against that nation.'

Mirwaiz Condemns Killings

Religious leader and chief cleric of Kashmir Mirwaiz Umar Farooq separately expressed grief over the killing of the two non-local labourers and strongly condemned the incident. 'Islam upholds the sanctity of every innocent human life and unequivocally condemns the killing of innocent persons,' Mirwaiz said.

He described the targeting of poor labourers who had come to J&K for their livelihood as being 'completely against the teachings of Islam as well as the principles of humanity,' and extended condolences to the bereaved families. He called for 'accommodation, dialogue and engagement' as the path toward a more peaceful South Asia.

What Happens Next

No formal inquiry has been announced by the Centre as of Saturday evening. Security agencies have not yet publicly responded to Choudhary's remarks. The incidents are likely to intensify scrutiny of ground-level intelligence and border-monitoring mechanisms in the Valley, particularly as J&K's political future — including the statehood question — remains unresolved.