The Pahalgam Terror attack is the most devastating incident in Jammu and Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama attack. One of the worst attacks on civilians in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. The incident took place at the Pahalgam’s Baisaran meadows in Anantnag district on Tuesday.

The attackers reportedly emerged from nearby forests and opened fire on a group of tourists. Heavily armed terrorists opened fire on a group of mostly non-local tourists. Initial reports indicate that the victims were selectively targeted based on their religion. The men were separated from their families before being gunned down. Some were shot in front of the family members. The trekking in the scenic meadow is accessible only by foot or pony.

Victims Hailed from Across India and Nepal

The list of victims includes individuals from various states across India, as well as two foreign nationals and two locals. Maharashtra bore the brunt of the casualties with three residents losing their lives, along with Gujarat and Karnataka also each reporting three deaths. West Bengal mourns the loss of two individuals, while Bihar, Chandigarh, Haryana, Kerala, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Kashmir each reported one fatality. One victim was also identified as hailing from Nepal.

List of Pahalgam terrorist attack victims

1. Sushil Nathyal, Indore

2. Syed Adil Hussain Shah, Pahalgam

3. Hemant Suhas Joshi, Mumbai

4. Vinay Narwal, Haryana

5. Atul Srikant Moni, Maharashtra

6. Neeraj Udhawani, Uttarakhand

7. Bitan Adhikari, Kolkata

8. Sudeep Neupane, Nepal

9. Shubham Dwivedi, Kanpur

10. Prasanta Kumar Satpathy, Balasore, Odisha.

11. Manish Ranjan, Bengal

12. N Ramachandra, Kerala

13. Sanjay Lakshman Lali, Thane

14. Dinesh Agarwal, Chandigarh

15. Samir Guha from Kolkata

16. Dileep Dasali, Mumbai

17. J Sachandra Moli, Visakhapatnam

18.  Madhusudan Somisetty, Bengaluru

19.  Santosh Jaghda, Pune

20. Manju Nath Rao, Karnataka

21.  Kastuba Ganvotay, Pune

22. Bharat Bhushan, Bengaluru

23. Sumit Parmar, Gujarat

24. Yatesh Parmar, Gujarat

25. Tage Hailyang, Arunachal Pradesh

26. Shaileshbhai H Himmatbhai Kalathia, Gujarat

In addition to the lives lost, several people sustained injuries in the terror attack. The injured individuals hail from various states including Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Nepal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and West Bengal.

List of Injured:

1. Dobhi Vinobah, Gujarat

2. Dr. A Parmeshwar, Tamil Nadu

3. Shahi Kumar Naik, Karnataka

4. Santano, Tamil Nadu

5. Sobede Patil, Maharashtra

6. Vinay Bai, Gujarat

7. Manik Patel Panwel, Maharashtra

8. Renu Panday, Nepal

9. Balachandru, Maharashtra

10. Abjaya M. Rao, Karnataka

11. Akansha, Madhya Pradesh

12. Lakshita Dass, Chhattisgarh

13. Jennifer, Madhya Pradesh

14. Jaya Mishra, Telangana

15. Shabariguha, West Bengal

16. Harsha Jain, Maharashtra

17. Nikita Jain, Maharashtra

Authorities are likely continuing their investigations into the attack. The incident has sent shockwaves across the nation, highlighting the continued threat of terrorism in the region

Professor Debasish Bhattacharyaa from Assam University, Silchar, was on a family vacation in Pahalgam when a peaceful day in the scenic Baisaran meadows turned into a nightmare. As gunmen stormed the popular tourist spot and opened fire, Bhattacharyaa and his family suddenly found themselves in the midst of a deadly terrorist attack. In a moment of crisis, his quick thinking and knowledge of the ‘Kalma’ – an Islamic prayer – helped him survive when confronted by the attackers.

The attack, carried out by militants from The Resistance Front (TRF), targeted tourists with chilling precision. Survivors later recounted how the assailants demanded that men recite the ‘Kalma’ and checked for circumcision, sparing those they identified as Muslim and targeting others.

At least 28 people lost their lives in the massacre, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the region in recent years.

The Ordeal

Bhattacharyaa, his wife, and son were resting under a tree when the gunfire erupted. “We reached the area at around 2:10 pm and nearly 20 minutes later, we heard the sound of gunfire. Initially, we thought it was blank fire by forest officials, but my son saw two men getting shot,” Bhattacharyaa recalled. As panic spread, tourists around him began reciting the Kalma. Having grown up in a Muslim-majority neighborhood in Assam, Bhattacharyaa was familiar with the prayer and instinctively joined in.

His presence of mind proved lifesaving. “I was sleeping under a tree with my family when I heard everyone beside me reciting Kalma. I too started to recite the Kalma. Then one of the terrorists in camouflaged fatigues came near me and shot the person beside me on his head. Then he stooped to me and asked ‘kya kar rahe ho (what are you doing)?’ I recited the Kalma even louder. I don’t know why. He then moved away,” he recounted.

Once the gunman turned away, Bhattacharyaa seized the chance to escape. He and his family quietly slipped away from the scene, trekking for nearly two hours through the hills and following pony hoof marks to safety. “We walked uphill along with my wife and son. I crossed the fence and walked for around two hours following the hoof marks of the horse. Then we got a horse with the rider and rode back to our hotel. I still cannot believe that I am alive,” he said.

The ordeal only ended when they reached a safe area with mobile network coverage and contacted their driver, who helped them return to Srinagar. The Assam government, upon learning of the incident, immediately reached out to the family and arranged for their safe return to Silchar.

For Bhattacharyaa, the trauma of the experience is still fresh. “This was the most horrific experience of my life which will keep haunting me for the rest of my life. I am a teacher, and we read about many killings in the past. But I never imagined I’d be witnessing one. I feel thankful that my family and I survived but it was painful to see people getting shot dead,” he told reporters.

The attack has sent shockwaves across the country, not only for its brutality but for the disturbing pattern of religious profiling employed by the terrorists. Survivors and eyewitnesses confirmed that the assailants spared those who could recite the Kalma or otherwise prove their Muslim identity, while others were executed at point-blank range. This calculated targeting has raised concerns about a new, more insidious form of terrorism aimed at fracturing India’s secular fabric.

The government of Assam, led by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, condemned the attack and ensured immediate assistance for the survivors. “This nefarious attack will be avenged and the perpetrators will not be spared… India will never forget and never forgive!” Sarma posted on social media.

A local pony ride operator was shot dead while shielding visitors from a terrorist attack in the popular Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam, Anantnag district, on Tuesday.

According to eyewitnesses, Adil Shah intervened as gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists, allowing several people to escape to safety before he was fatally wounded.

The incident, which unfolded in one of Kashmir’s busiest tourist spots, has sparked widespread mourning and drawn attention to Shah’s act of bravery, which many are calling a powerful example of selflessness and unity in the face of violence.

Who was Syed Adil Hussain Shah?

Syed Adil Hussain Shah, a 27-year-old pony ride operator from Ashmuqam’s Hapatnard area, was the sole breadwinner for his family, supporting his ailing parents, wife, two children, and younger brothers. Each day, he ferried tourists on horseback from the car park to the lush Baisaran meadow, an area only accessible by foot, hoping to earn enough during the busy tourist season to support his loved ones.

On the day of the attack, as the meadows bustled with visitors, armed terrorists stormed the area and began firing indiscriminately. Eyewitnesses and survivors recounted that the assailants demanded to know the religion of their victims, targeting non-Muslims after making them recite Islamic verses.

Amid the chaos, Shah acted without hesitation. He reportedly tried to shield a tourist, and in a moment of extraordinary courage, attempted to snatch a rifle from one of the attackers in an effort to protect those around him. He was shot in the process and succumbed to his injuries, becoming the only local civilian and the only Muslim victim among the 26 people killed in the massacre.

The news of Shah’s death devastated his family and community. His father, Syed Haider Shah, described the anguish of learning about his son’s fate after repeated calls to his phone went unanswered. “My son went to Pahalgam yesterday to work. Around 3 pm, we heard of the attack. We tried calling him, but his phone was off. It rang again around 4:40 pm, but no one answered. We rushed to the police station and were told he had been shot,” he said, demanding justice for his son.

His mother, weeping by the door of their modest home, remembered her son as the soul of the family. “He was everything to us. He earned for the house, looked after us, and lived with dignity,” she said, her voice trembling. “Now he is gone, and we are lost. But he died doing something noble… something I will always be proud of.”

His mother, her voice broken by tears, spoke of the irreplaceable loss of her son and said, “He was the only support we had. He used to ride horses and earned money for the family. There is no one else to provide for us now. We don’t know what we will do without him.”

#WATCH | J&K | Mother of the Anantnag resident Syed Hussain Shah, who lost his life in the #PahalgamTerroristAttack, gets emotional, says, “He was the only bread earner of the family…” pic.twitter.com/W7BgzeVOEC

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2025

The arrival of Adil’s body in his native village was met with an outpouring of grief, as neighbours and relatives gathered to pay their respects. His sacrifice has been hailed across Kashmir as an act of rare bravery and humanity.

“He didn’t die for a cause written in manifestos. He died for a cause written in the human heart,” said Imtiyaz Lone, a local shopkeeper who had known Adil since childhood. “In a time when terrorists tried to divide us with hate, a Muslim man gave his life to protect his non-Muslim brothers and sisters. That is Kashmir. That is what this land truly stands for.”

“When terrorists came to divide us with bullets, Adil stood tall with love,” Lone said. “He didn’t just save lives – he saved our collective conscience.”

Leaders, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, attended his funeral and praised Shah’s courage, vowing that his family would not be forgotten. “He proved his bravery. He tried to stop the attack, he probably tried to snatch a gun and then was targeted. We will have to take care of his family,” Abdullah said at the funeral.

Adil Shah’s death has become a symbol of unity and compassion in the face of violence, with many in Kashmir and beyond recognising his selfless act as a testament to the values that bind communities together, even in the darkest times. As Kashmir mourns yet another tragedy, the memory of this humble pony ride operator’s courage stands as a powerful reminder of the strength of humanity.