Solved case
2016 Nagrota Army Base Attack
On 29 November 2016, three militants disguised in Indian police uniforms attacked an Indian Army base in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir, killing seven soldiers, including two officers, before all three attackers were killed.

On the morning of 29 November 2016, at around 5:30 local time, three militants identified as Numan, Aadil and Khalid, dressed in Indian police uniforms, attacked the Indian Army's 166 Field Regiment unit in Nagrota, a town near Jammu city in Jammu and Kashmir. In the initial gun battle, four Indian Army soldiers, including one officer, were killed.
Following the initial assault, the militants split into two groups and entered the living quarters of the base, opening fire with AK-47s and throwing grenades. They took hostage at least two infants, two women, and more than a dozen soldiers, resulting in a standoff with security forces. A statement from the Defence public relations office described the situation as a "hostage-like situation which was successfully neutralised." In the resulting operation, all three militants were killed and the hostages were freed by the Indian Army. Three additional Indian soldiers, including another officer, were killed during the rescue operation, bringing the total number of soldiers killed to seven, including two officers. The two officers who died, both of the rank of major, were identified as Akshay Girish Kumar and Gosavi Kunal Mannadir; both lost their lives in the initial response before the militants were killed.
The attack occurred against a backdrop of heightened tension in Kashmir following the killing of Burhan Wani and subsequent unrest, as well as the 2016 Uri attack and India's retaliatory surgical strike operation that followed it.
A subsequent investigation by India's National Investigation Agency (NIA), conducted over approximately two years, concluded that the operation had been organized by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) deputy chief Abdul Rauf Azhar, according to the agency's final chargesheet. The chargesheet reportedly detailed how the three militants entered India, arranged financing, and received local assistance in carrying out the attack.
Key facts
- Victims
- Gosavi Kunal Mannadir, Akshay Girish Kumar
- Date
- 2016
- Location
- Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Case status
- solved
Case timeline
2016-11-29
Three militants dressed in Indian police uniforms attack the Indian Army's 166 Field Regiment unit in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir; four soldiers, including one officer, are killed in the initial gun battle.
2016-11-29
Militants split into two groups, enter base living quarters, and take hostages including infants, women, and soldiers, leading to a standoff with security forces.
2016-11-29
Indian Army neutralizes the hostage situation; all three militants are killed and hostages are freed; three more soldiers, including an officer, die during the rescue operation, bringing the total soldier death toll to seven.
Best coverage
No coverage has been attached to this file yet.
People
Numan
CHARGEDIdentified militant attacker, killed during the operation; named in NIA chargesheet as part of the attack
Gosavi Kunal Mannadir
VICTIMMajor in the Indian Army killed during the initial response to the attack
Akshay Girish Kumar
VICTIMMajor in the Indian Army killed during the initial response to the attack
Aadil
CHARGEDIdentified militant attacker, killed during the operation; named in NIA chargesheet as part of the attack
Khalid
CHARGEDIdentified militant attacker, killed during the operation; named in NIA chargesheet as part of the attack
Abdul Rauf Azhar
CHARGEDJaish-e-Mohammed deputy chief identified in the NIA's final chargesheet as having organized the attack
Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.
Places
Common questions
- What happened to the victim?
- On 29 November 2016, three militants disguised in Indian police uniforms attacked an Indian Army base in Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir, killing seven soldiers, including two officers, before all three attackers were killed.
- Where did the crime happen?
- Nagrota, Jammu and Kashmir, India.
- What is the current status of the case?
- Status: solved.
Sources
- ENCYCLOPEDIC2016 Nagrota army base attackWikipedia · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07
- PRESSContemporaneous coverage — indianexpress.comindianexpress.com · 2026-07-07
Record history
- First published
- JUL 07, 2026
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