At least 25 persons have been killed and 12 others, including tourists and locals, were injured in a terror attack in Pahalgam hill station in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Tuesday, April 22. According to reports, a realtor named Manjunath from Karnataka’s Shivamogga district is among those killed. Two other persons from Karnataka and one from Tamil Nadu sustained injuries, according to reports.
Media reports said unknown persons wearing army fatigues came and fired at horse-riding tourists in the Baisran area around 2.30 pm. Baisran is a small meadow 3 to 4 km from the Pahalgam market. Tourists take horses to reach the place as there is no motorable road.
The injured have been shifted to Pahalgam hospital, from where those with critical injuries were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment.
In a chilling account, Pallavi, a tourist from Karnataka who lost her husband in the terrorist attack, told TV channels that both she and her 18-year-old son confronted the terrorist and pleaded to be killed alongside Manjunath. However, the terrorist told them he wouldn’t harm them and instead instructed them to ‘tell Modi’ about the attack.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is currently on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, expressed deep anguish over the incident and assured that swift and decisive action would follow. "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," he posted on X.
He also added, “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 only grow stronger.”
Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha said, "Anti-terror ops launched to neutralise terrorists. The entire nation is angry & the blood of our forces is boiling. I want to assure the nation that perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack will have to pay a very heavy price for their heinous act. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved families".
Home Minister Amit Shah is on his way to Srinagar and will chair a high-level security meeting at the Raj Bhawan in Srinagar.
Northern Army comander, Lt Gen MV Suchendra Kumar, has left Delhi for Srinagar to review the situation with the field commanders. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is also rushing to Srinagar to supervise relief to the injured victims of the terror attack.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo has also reached Pahalgam. A helpline has been set up in the control room in Anantnag for affected tourists and their families.
All hotels in Srinagar city, and the tourist resorts of Pahalgam, Gulmarg and Sonamarg are fully occupied. An unprecedented number of tourists are expected in J&K this year and official projections forecast a number of around two crores tourists would visit the region this year.