Foreign Tourists, Children Among Victims in Pahalgam Carnage Claimed by TRF Militant Group
Srinagar, 22-04-2025: In one of the deadliest and most horrifying terror attacks in recent years, at least 26 individuals, the majority of them tourists, were killed in cold blood at Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam on Monday. Among the deceased were two foreign nationals, an Intelligence Bureau officer, and a Navy lieutenant, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the barbarity. The attack, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of the Lashkar-e-Toiba, has left the nation in grief and fury, while officials have called it a grotesque assault on the idea of Kashmir, humanity, and the sanctity of innocent life.
According to officials, a group of heavily armed terrorists infiltrated the picturesque grasslands of Baisaran, a meadow six kilometers from the Pahalgam base, and strategically targeted civilians who were relaxing in the serene highland setting. The assailants reportedly separated women and children from the men, asking the latter their names before shooting them in cold blood. In a chilling incident, a Navy officer on leave, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal from Haryana—newly married just a week earlier—was among the first to be killed. Similarly, IB officer Manish Ranjan, originally from Bihar and serving in Hyderabad, lost his life while on vacation with his family under a government LTC scheme.
The brutality of the attack has left the nation stunned. One of the most harrowing accounts came from Asavari Jagdale, daughter of Pune-based businessman Santosh Jagdale, who was executed along with his brother. In her testimony, Asavari said the terrorists asked her father to recite an Islamic verse, and when he couldn’t, they shot him three times. Her uncle was also shot dead moments later. The women in the group, including Asavari and her mother, were spared and later rescued by locals and security personnel. Her narration revealed the targeted, deliberate, and hate-driven nature of the killings, as the attackers accused the group of supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi before pulling the trigger.
Eyewitness videos circulating on social media show people running in panic, while others lay flat on the ground trying to avoid bullets. One viral clip features a tourist couple screaming for help as their loved one lies bleeding. Another widely shared video shows a woman wailing over her husband who had been shot in the head. Survivors recall how, in the initial moments, they mistook the gunfire for a possible exchange between terrorists and security forces, only to realize it was a one-sided massacre with no security presence nearby.
Baisaran, often referred to as ‘Mini Switzerland’ because of its lush grasslands and panoramic views, turned into a blood-soaked ground, littered with belongings, pony saddles, food packets, and bodies. The scenic site, a favorite with both domestic and foreign tourists, became a crime scene overnight, with heartbroken survivors scrambling for shelter and desperate for medical assistance. With the area accessible only via footpaths and ponies, emergency response was severely hampered. Helicopters were later deployed to evacuate the critically injured, while local pony owners courageously carried the wounded down the slopes on their backs and shoulders.
Security forces immediately swung into action, launching a coordinated combing operation involving the police, Army, CRPF, and later, elite Para SF commandos. The attackers, believed to have fled into the thick pine forests surrounding Baisaran, are being tracked using drones, sniffer dogs, and aerial surveillance. The Pahalgam town, which had been bustling with tourists just hours before, was plunged into eerie silence. Panic-stricken tourists left the town en masse, and businesses shut down fearing further violence.
Officials confirmed that this was the deadliest attack in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing, not just in terms of the death toll but also the symbolic brutality with which it was executed. The targeted killing of unarmed civilians, including government personnel on personal leave, foreign nationals, and holidaying families, has once again exposed the inhuman face of terrorism that continues to haunt the Valley despite relentless efforts to promote peace and normalcy.
The international community and leaders across the political spectrum have condemned the massacre, calling it a calculated attempt to derail the fragile stability that Jammu and Kashmir has been striving to build in recent years. Security agencies are now under intense pressure to swiftly apprehend those responsible, ensure justice for the victims, and prevent further such tragedies.
As the bodies are sent home and the wounded begin their slow path to recovery, the incident remains a horrifying reminder that terrorism continues to threaten not just security, but the very fabric of human dignity and the hope for a peaceful Kashmir. The memory of this massacre will linger, and it must push both the state and the nation to reinforce their resolve to fight terror with unity, compassion, and unrelenting determination.
In the gruesome terror attack at Pahalgam, the confirmed list of fatalities includes 26 individuals, among them Lieutenant Vinay Narwal from Haryana, Shubham Dwivedi from Uttar Pradesh, Manju Nath from Karnataka, Dilip Jayaram Desale and Atul Shrikant Mone from Maharashtra, Sundip Nevpane and Bitan Adhkeri from Nepal, and Udhwani Pradeep Kumar from the UAE. The deceased also include Sanjay Lakhan Lele, Himat Bhai Kalathiay from Surat, Prasant Kumar from Baleshwar, IB officer Manish Ranjan, Ramchandram Narayan Meonon, Shalinder Kalpiya, and Shivam from Karnataka. Locals such as Syed Hussan Shah from Anantnag were also among those killed. The injured include Vini Bhai Ruwani Bhai from Gujarat, Manik Patil, Rino Pandey, S. Balachandru from Maharashtra, Dr Parmeshwaram Arumugam from Tamil Nadu, Abhijavam Rao from Karnataka, Santru from Tamil Nadu, Shashi Kumari from Odisha, Balachandra Sankara Pandya from Tamil Nadu, and Sobhit Patel from Mumbai.
This attack adds to the tragic timeline of major terrorist atrocities on civilians in Kashmir since 2000, including the 2000 Chattisinghpora massacre of 36 Sikhs, the August 2000 Nunwan base camp attack that killed 32, the 2001 Sheshnag attack killing 13 Amarnath pilgrims, and the suicide bombing at the J&K State Legislature that same year, which left 36 dead. The list goes on with the 2002 Chandanwari attack, the 2002 Lower Munda IED blast, the 2003 Nandimarg massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits, the 2005 Pulwama car bombing killing 16 and injuring over 100, the 2006 Kulgam laborer killings, the 2017 Amarnath Yatra bus attack, and the October 2024 Ganderbal shooting of migrant workers and a doctor. The Pahalgam attack now stands as yet another horrifying chapter in this ongoing cycle of senseless violence.