Death Toll in Kashmir Terror Attack Hits 26, Worst in Nearly 20 Years

Photo : PTI

A very sad and scary thing happened on Tuesday in a green field in Pahalgam, a hilly area in Jammu and Kashmir, India. Some men with guns started shooting at tourists who were visiting the place. Police said 26 people were killed, including 25 Indians and 1 person from Nepal. Seventeen others were hurt.

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This is the worst attack on common people in India since 2008, when many people died in a big city attack in Mumbai.

As soon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi heard the news, he stopped his trip to Saudi Arabia and came back to India on Wednesday morning. The finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, also stopped her trip to the U.S. and Peru and came back to support people in this hard time.

When Modi reached Delhi, he had a meeting with top leaders and army officers. They talked about what steps to take to protect the country. Another big meeting was called for early morning.

A group calling itself “Kashmir Resistance” said they did the attack. On social media, they said they are angry because many people from outside are now living in Kashmir. They said this is changing the people and culture there.

But Indian police believe this group is just a new name for old terror groups called Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Pakistan also shared a message. Their government said they are very sorry for the people who died and hope the hurt people get better soon.

After the attack, many local groups in Kashmir said they would shut down shops and stop work for one day to show anger and sadness. They said tourists help local people earn money, and these attacks are bad for everyone.

Because of the shooting, many visitors tried to leave the area fast. Four special flights were started from Srinagar to Delhi and Mumbai. More flights were kept ready in case more people wanted to leave. The main road to Srinagar was broken due to heavy rain, so flights were the only easy way out.

The aviation minister, Rammohan Naidu, asked all airlines not to charge high prices for tickets at this sad time. He said no one should suffer more because of money.

Back in 2019, the Indian government changed the special law of Kashmir. This law used to stop outsiders from buying land or getting jobs there. Now, people from other parts of India can do both. Some local people are unhappy with this change.

This attack shows that peace is still far in Kashmir. Many people are scared, and the whole country is feeling the pain of this loss.