On Saturday, June 27, 2026, a tragic explosion killed 22-year-old civilian Zabir Ahmad Bajad and injured four others at a remote high-altitude pasture named Sumli Wali Dhok, near Asha Post in the Gulmarg sector of Jammu and Kashmir, close to the Line of Control (LoC).
Initial investigations by local police and the Indian Army suggest the casualties occurred when the victims inadvertently came into contact with an unexploded ordnance or old military shell left behind in the area. While the affected families are left mourning the sudden loss, security forces have launched a rigorous forensic investigation and wide-scale sanitisation drive to secure the zone.
Tragedy Strikes the Summer Pastures
The peace of a Saturday afternoon was shattered around 3:00 PM when a deafening blast-like sound echoed across the upper reaches of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. The incident took place at a behak a traditional high-altitude mud-and-stone shelter used by nomadic herders during the summer grazing season located in Sumli Wali Dhok.
Because the site sits precariously close to Asha Post along the heavily militarised Line of Control (LoC), the explosion immediately put security forces on high alert. Joint teams of the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Indian Army rushed to the rugged terrain to cordon off the area and coordinate emergency rescue efforts.
A Community Deep in Mourning
Upon reaching the remote pasture, responders found that one young man had died on the spot from severe blast injuries, while four others were left wounded. The deceased was identified as Zabir Ahmad Bajad, the son of Mohammad Rafiq Bajad.
Zabir was a resident of Galibal village, located in the Lateefabad Khudpora area of Chandoosa, Baramulla. His sudden death has devastated his family and cast a dark shadow of grief over his home village, where community members gathered to mourn a life cut short.
The Threat of Unexploded Artillery
While initial reports from local authorities described the event as a “mysterious explosion,” a preliminary enquiry has shed light on the source of the blast. According to a senior police spokesperson, the tragedy did not stem from a fresh attack or cross-border hostility.
Investigators believe that Zabir or one of the injured men may have accidentally disturbed or stepped on an unexploded ordnance potentially a weathered shell or mortar left behind from past border skirmishes or military training exercises.
Forensic Investigation and Safety Sweeps
Following the blast, the four injured individuals were stabilised and shifted to a nearby medical facility for advanced treatment, where their conditions are being closely monitored. To ensure public safety and prevent any further loss of life, authorities have dispatched a specialized forensic team to the blast site to gather chemical residues, soil samples, and metal fragments to precisely identify the vintage and nature of the device.
Concurrently, specialist military teams have commenced a thorough sweep of the surrounding mountain pastures to detect and safely defuse any other remnants of active military hardware, while the Gulmarg Police Station has formally initiated inquest proceedings to document the official details of the accident.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This deeply unfortunate event brings to light the silent, lingering hazards that shadow the lives of everyday citizens residing near border zones. For decades, these high-altitude meadows have been vital to the livelihoods of rural and nomadic herders, who venture into the mountains to graze their livestock. Discovering that a routine day of honest work can instantly turn fatal due to the remnants of past conflict is heartbreaking.
At The Logical Indian, we firmly believe that true security cannot coexist with the hidden remnants of violence. True peace is not just the absence of active warfare, but the absolute assurance of safety for the most vulnerable members of society. We urge local authorities and security agencies to expand their sanitisation campaigns to all seasonal pastures near the border, ensuring that no more young lives are lost to the ghosts of past conflicts. We extend our deepest empathy to the Bajad family and pray for the swift recovery of those injured.
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— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2026
