(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- A day of leisure in the lush green pastures of Baisaran turned into one of the bloodiest afternoons Kashmir has seen in years.
Armed terrorists stormed the famed tourist meadow near Pahalgam on Tuesday, gunning down 26 people, mostly visitors from outside the Valley, in a chilling act of violence that shattered the fragile sense of calm in the region. Pony rides, picnics and laughter gave way to screams, gunfire and chaos, leaving behind a scene of unimaginable horror.“Two to three gunmen, disguised in military uniforms, stormed the meadow and began firing at tourists without warning, targeting women, elderly people, and families enjoying pony rides,” said a witness .Videos that surfaced on social media showed blood-soaked survivors wailing beside lifeless bodies, crying for help.
One tourist, in a chilling video, recounted how her husband was shot in front of her eyes. Eyewitnesses described how the calm of a regular Tuesday afternoon was shattered by gunfire, as tourists enjoying pony rides and picnics suddenly found themselves in a nightmare. Cries for help echoed, while bodies lay motionless in pools of blood.
Panic spread as tourists ran for cover, but the open space left them with no place to hide. One tourist recalled that the attackers first asked victims for their names before opening fire.
A tourist from Nagpur, currently receiving treatment in GMC Anantnag, recounted,“We saved ourselves by sheer luck. Never thought we would make it out alive. We were enjoying ourselves, and as we were heading back, we suddenly heard gunshots and ran for our lives.”
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“I don't know what happened to my friends. We came as a group of 20,” another tourist, with a gunshot wound in his arm, said.
The group of tourists at Baisaran came from several states, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Gujarat.
“We were standing in the stand, and customers had gone to the upper side. At around 2:45 pm, people started running around. When we asked, we found that a gunshot had been fired. We immediately started moving away from this area,” a local, Gulzar Ahmad, said.
“This attack will definitely impact tourism here because after this, no matter what we do, we will never be able to win back the trust of people,” he added.
The 26 dead included two foreigners and two locals, a high ranking official said without getting into details. The toll is still being ascertained, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said while describing the terror attack as“much larger than anything we've seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
The attack, which comes as US Vice President J D Vance is visiting India and just as the tourist and trekking season is picking up momentum, took place around 3 pm, officials said.
Baisaran, about six kilometres from the resort town of Pahalgam, is an expansive meadow ringed by dense pine forests and mountains and a favourite with visitors from across the country and the world.
Armed terrorists came into the grassland, dubbed 'mini Switzerland', and started firing at tourists milling around eateries, taking pony rides or just picnicking, officials and eyewitnesses said. At least 20 people were injured in the strike in the volatile Kashmir Valley where tourists have so far mostly been spared.
As news of the terror attack targeting tourists in Kashmir spread, The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, claimed responsibility.
Officials said it was possible the terror group members could have crossed over from Kishtwar in Jammu and reached Baisaran through Kokernag in south Kashmir.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia, and reached Srinagar in the evening for an urgent security review meeting with all agencies.
Officials said Shah is likely to visit Pahalgam on Wednesday.
“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,” the prime minister said on X.
“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 get even stronger,” he added.
Among those killed was Karnataka businessman Manjunath Rao, who was from Shivamogga.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condoled the death and called a meeting of officials. A team of officials from Karnataka left for Kashmir, an official statement said.
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 were mobilised and ambulances pressed into service.
Some of the injured were brought down from the meadow by local people on their ponies.
Army, CRPF and local police rushed to Baisaran, much sought after by filmmakers in the 1980s, after initial news came in of gunshots being heard, officials said.
A massive anti-terrorist operation has been launched to hunt down the assailants and security forces have fanned out in all directions, they said.
The Jammu and Kashmir administration set up 24X7 emergency control rooms in Anantnag and Srinagar.
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