A terror attack in Baisaran, Pahalgam claimed the life of at least 27 people including two foreigners and left many others injured on Tuesday. The attack has been claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a group linked to the banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
A victim, Manjunath Rao, was visiting the Baisaran meadow, often called ‘mini Switzerland’, with his wife and young son when the shooting happened.
His wife, Pallavi, described the moment. “Three of us – me, my husband and our son – had gone to Kashmir. It happened around 1.30 pm, I think. We were at Pahalgam. He died on the spot, in front of my eyes,” she told India Today. “It still feels like a bad dream,” she added.
Pallavi said the attackers seemed to be targeting Hindu tourists. “Three to four people attacked us. I told them – kill me too, you’ve already killed my husband. One of them said, ‘I won’t kill you. Go tell this to Modi’,” she recounted. She also mentioned that local civilians helped her immediately after the attack. “Three local people rescued me,” she added.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers came out of the thick pine forests surrounding the area and started shooting at civilians, triggering chaos and panic.
Security agencies, including the army, CRPF and local police, quickly launched a search operation to hunt down the attackers. Injured tourists were airlifted from the site, while some were carried by locals on ponies.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah called the attack “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.” He noted that the full death toll was still being confirmed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly condemned the killings, calling it a “heinous act” and promising that the attackers would be “brought to justice.” He stressed that their “evil agenda will never succeed.”
Home Minister Amit Shah echoed this message, saying the attackers “won’t be spared.” He confirmed the death and injuries, and has reached Srinagar for an urgent security review after speaking with the Prime Minister. (Wion)
