The deaths occurred in the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on an evening on Friday when two migrants from Chhattisgarh were shot dead in a terrorist attack, police said.
Police sources say the two non-local labourers in Kellam village were murdered by the terrorists. The second suffered fatal injuries on the spot and the third died from his injuries in hospital.
According to police the two deceased were Deepak and Bhupender, who were locals of the state of Chhattisgarh.
After the attack, a large-scale cordon and search operation was conducted in the area for clues to track the attackers. A supplementary force of police and security officials is deployed, and they continue to search for, and abate, the perpetrators.
This is the second targeted terrorist attack in Kashmir valley in past 10 days. A few days back, a police official had been murdered in the targeted attack in Anantnag.
The police have stepped up security in the Valley, arresting over 3,000 individuals in connection with the attacks, in a wider sweep against terrorist networks and their supporters.
But OJK warned that via large scale detentions, the process could backfire and possibly augment the overall security environment in Jammu-Kashmir.
The attack is at a time when the Amarnath Yatra is supposed to be under way. Lately, authorities have set up an extensive security web for the yearly pilgrimage, with 670 additional companies of paramilitary forces to protect pilgrims’ safety and maintain law and order throughout the area.
Security forces are on their guard after the most recent one.