Terrorists on Tuesday carried out a major attack in the world famous tourist destination in Pulwama in south Kashmir by targeting vacationers, leaving at least 28 people dead including 26 tourists and 10 others injured.
The massive attack, suspected to have been carried out by a terror outfit based in Pakistan, came significantly at a time when US Vice President JD Vance is visiting the country.
The biggest terror attack in Kashmir since the February 2019 strike at CRPF convoy targeted tourists who were enjoying the beauty of Baisaran meadow, a picturesque but non-motorable location some kilometres away from the main town of Pahalgam at around lunch time.
According to eye-witnesses, a group of terrorists specifically targeted the tourists from various parts of the country.
They included women and children.
While there was no official word on the number of casualties, sources confirmed that at least 28 people were killed and nearly 10 injured.
The dead include 26 tourists and two locals. Among the dead include two foreigners.
A police officer said the site of the incident was not accessible by vehicles and security forces were rushed to the spot on foot.
Pallavi, a tourist from Shivamoga in Karnataka, whose 48-year-old husband Manjunath was killed in the attack, said, “It still feels like a bad dream”.
“Three to four people attacked us,” said Pallavi, who along with her husband and a minor son were here on a vacation.
“He (Manjunath) died on the spot, in front of my eyes.. 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 added.
The terror attack took place at around 2.30 to 3 pm.
As news of the terror attack targeting tourists in Kashmir spread, The Resistance Front (TRF), shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility.
Officials said it was possible the terror group could have crossed over from Kishtwar in Jammu and reached Baisaran through Kokernag in south Kashmir.
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.
Some put the number of attackers at five.
“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.
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, including Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat.
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 was mobilised and ambulances pressed into service.
Some of the injured were brought down from the meadow by local people on their ponies.
The police, paramilitary CRPF and army men rushed to the area immediately after the attack. The security men have launched a massive search operation to track down the attackers.
The NIA team would be visiting the attack site tomorrow to assist police in the problem.
This is the first major terror attack in J&K since 2019.
The last major terror attack took place on February 14, 2019 when a local suicide bomber Adil Dar of Jaish-e-Mohammad rammed his explosive-laden car into CRPF bus at Lethpora Pulwama leaving 40 personnel of the force dead. The attack was followed by Balakote air strikes.
A day later Pakistan retaliated and it triggered a brief dogfight. The Pulwama attack had brought India and Pakistan at the brink of war.
In July 2017, eight pilgrims on the way from Amarnath cave were killed and over a dozen were injured in a terror attack in south Kashmir.