Hamza Burhan, one of the masterminds behind the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel, has reportedly been shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK).
The Pulwama attack took place on February 14, 2019, when a convoy carrying Indian security personnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was targeted in Lethapora area of Pulwama district in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.
The attack killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel along with the suicide bomber, Adil Ahmad Dar, a resident of Pulwama district in Kashmir.
Hamza Burhan, also known by the alias ‘Doctor’, reportedly sustained multiple bullet injuries in the attack. A resident of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir, Burhan was designated a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry in 2022.
Born in Kharbatpora in the Ratnipora area of Pulwama, Burhan had travelled to Pakistan in 2017 on the pretext of pursuing higher studies. He later joined the banned terror outfit Al-Badr and eventually rose to the rank of commander within the organisation.
Convoy targeted on Jammu-Srinagar highway
On the day of the attack, a convoy consisting of 78 vehicles carrying more than 2,500 CRPF personnel was travelling from Jammu to Srinagar along National Highway 44. The convoy had departed Jammu around 3:30 am after highway movement had remained suspended for two days.
At around 3:15 pm near Lethapora in Awantipora, a vehicle carrying explosives rammed into a bus transporting security personnel, triggering a massive blast. The explosion killed 40 CRPF personnel from the 76th Battalion and injured several others. Those injured were later shifted to the Army base hospital in Srinagar.
Jaish-e-Mohammed had claimed responsibility
Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. The organisation also released a video of Adil Ahmad Dar, who was 22 years old and had reportedly joined the group a year before the attack.
According to reports, Dar’s family last saw him in March 2018 when he left home on a bicycle and did not return.
India held Pakistan responsible for the attack, while Pakistan condemned the incident and denied any involvement. Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar is known to operate from Pakistan.
Attack worsened India-Pakistan relations
The Pulwama attack was the deadliest terror strike on Indian security personnel in Kashmir since 1989. The incident significantly strained India-Pakistan relations and later led to the 2019 military standoff between the two countries.
Subsequent investigations by Indian agencies identified 19 accused in connection with the case. By August 2021, the main accused and six others had been killed, while seven individuals had been arrested.
