* Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice: PM Modi
* Amit Shah rushes to Kashmir * Pol parties in J&K call for shutdown
PAHALGAM, April 22: Terrorists opened fire at a famed meadow near Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on Tuesday afternoon, killing 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019.
The 26 dead included two foreigners—from UAE and Nepal—and two locals, a high ranking official said without getting into details. The toll is still being ascertained, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said while describing the terror attack as “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
Officials said that 22 of the 26 victims have been identified and efforts are being made to ascertain the identity of the other four.
The attack, which comes as US Vice President JD Vance is visiting India and just as the tourist and trekking season is picking up momentum, took place around 3 pm, officials said.
Baisaran, about six kilometres from the resort town of Pahalgam, is an expansive meadow ringed by dense pine forests and mountains and a favourite with visitors from across the country and the world.
Armed terrorists came into the grassland, dubbed “mini Switzerland”, and started firing at tourists milling around eateries, taking pony rides or just picnicking, officials and eyewitnesses said. At least 20 people were injured in the strike in the volatile Kashmir Valley where tourists have so far mostly been spared.
As news of the terror attack targeting tourists in Kashmir spread, The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, and rushed to Srinagar in the evening and took stock of the security situation. Officials said Shah is likely to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday.
“I strongly condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that the injured recover at the earliest. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected. Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice… they will not be spared! Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger,” the PM said on X.
Eyewitnesses painted a chilling picture of gunfire breaking the calm of a regular Tuesday afternoon with scores of people enjoying their day out. Cries for help were heard as lifeless bodies lay motionless in pools of blood.
“My husband was shot in the head while seven others were also injured in the attack,” a woman survivor said.
The woman did not identify herself but pleaded for help in evacuating the injured to hospital.
Pune businessman Santosh Jagdale, 54, was asked to come out of his tent and recite an Islamic verse. When he couldn’t, he was shot thrice: once in the head, then behind the ear and then his back, his Asavari Jagdale told PTI.
After her father fell to the ground, the gunmen turned on her uncle who was lying next to her and shot him several times in the back.
Asavari, 26, does not know if her father and uncle are alive or among the dead. She, her mother and another female relative were spared, and locals and security forces evacuated them to Pahalgam Club where they remain clueless about the fate of the two men.
As gunshots rang out, there was panic and tourists ran for cover but there was no place to hide in the wide, open space, said another woman tourist.
A woman said terrorists first asked the name before shooting down the victims.
The tourists gathered at Baisaran were from several states. Among the dead were tourists from Karnataka, Maharashtra, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. At least one person from Gujarat, three from Tamil Nadu and two from Maharashtra were among the injured, according to initial reports.
Manish Rajan, who was working with a central security agency and was at present posted in Hyderabad, was on a holiday with his wife and children when he was shot dead in front of his family members.
Karnataka businessman Manjunath Rao, who was from Shivamogga, was also killed in the attack.
With Baisaran accessible only by foot or horses, choppers were deployed to evacuate the injured. The families of those killed and injured were taken to the government-owned Pahalgam Club under tight security.
The entire district administration and police force were mobilised and ambulances pressed into service.
Some of the injured were brought down from the meadow by local people on their ponies. A massive anti-terrorist operation has been launched to hunt down the assailants and security forces have fanned out in all directions, they said. (PTI)