The National Investigation Agency is investigating the case of terrorist attack in Pahalgam, one of the popular tourist destinations of Jammu and Kashmir. The Union Home Ministry has issued a notification in this regard. At the same time, Jammu and Kashmir Police has also announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for giving important information about the attackers.
On 22 April 2025, terrorists armed with automatic weapons shot tourists in broad daylight in Pahalgam. 26 people lost their lives in this massacre, including an Indian Navy officer, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal and a local pony rider Syed Adil Hussain Shah.
India on Monday banned 17 Pakistani YouTube channels for reporting the Pahalgam attack incident. These include cricketer Shoaib Akhtar, Dawn News, Sama TV and Geo News. The government says that these channels are showing false and misleading news against India and security agencies.
At the same time, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has also been warned. While reporting the attack in Pahalgam, the BBC was calling the terrorists as extremists. The government has taken this action after the recommendation of the Home Ministry.
On the other hand, in the special session called today in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly, tribute was paid to the tourists killed in Pahalgam.
Although the NIA became active in the Pahalgam case immediately after the attack and its officers had inspected the crime scene, the Central Ministry issued formal orders to hand over the investigation to it five days later. After this, the NIA registered a terror related case in Jammu on Sunday, April 27.
The NIA, headquartered in CGO Complex in Lodhi Road, Delhi, has one of its approximately 20 offices across the country in Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. However, it has been learned that an Inspector General level officer in the NIA had reached Pahalgam the very next day. Since then, its team has been camping there, which includes the Superintendent of Police and many officers of other ranks.
In a statement issued by the NIA, it has been said that the NIA investigating teams are closely examining the entry and exit points to get clues about the modus operandi of the terrorists. With the help of forensic and other experts, the teams are conducting a thorough investigation of the entire area to find evidence to unravel the terror conspiracy that led to this horrific attack that shook the country.
It said that eyewitnesses are also being closely questioned to piece together the chain of events that led to one of the most horrific terror attacks in Kashmir.
According to a statement issued by the NIA, teams under the supervision of an Inspector General (IG), a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and a Superintendent of Police (SP) of the anti-terror agency are questioning eyewitnesses who saw the horrific attack unfold before their eyes in the peaceful and picturesque Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
In Baisaran area, known as ‘Mini Switzerland’ for its serene atmosphere and beauty, a group of terrorists surrounded people who were loitering around restaurants, riding ponies or picnicking with their families, including their children and parents. After this, they separated the women and children and killed the male adult tourists. Before this, they also asked about their religion.
When a team of Army, Jammu and Kashmir Police and administration officials was shocked while examining the bodies. They found that the clothes of the lower body of 20 out of 26 victims were in disarray. The zip of their pants was open and the trousers were pulled down. Their underwear or private parts were visible. The families of the deceased were probably in shock, so they did not pay attention to this condition of the clothes. The staff also picked up the bodies as they were and covered them with shrouds.
Eyewitnesses also told , to different media platforms, that the terrorists had asked for identity proof like Aadhar card or driving license to know the real identity of the tourists. To rule out the possibility of someone pretending to be a Muslim to save his life, the terrorists asked them to recite Kalma (Muslim prayer) and remove their lower garments so that they could check for circumcision ( Khatna) .
Local man Syed Adil Hussain Shah was also killed while trying to stop an attacking terrorist and snatch his weapon. Eyewitnesses say that Adil tried to grab the gun of the attacker to stop him. He was also shot several times.
Officials said that different teams of NIA officials are going to different parts of the country to get details from the survivors of the terror attack, said to have been carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
He said NIA teams have recorded statements of family members of the victims in Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal, among other states. He said preliminary investigation into the brutal terror attack indicated that the number of terrorists involved could be five to seven.
Officials said the attackers were also assisted by at least two local terrorists who had received training in Pakistan. Agencies have released sketches of three terrorists suspected to be involved in the attack. They said all three are from Pakistan and are named Asif Fauji, Suleman Shah and Abu Talha.
The Jammu and Kashmir Police has announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh each for information leading to the killing of the terrorists. Officials, quoting eyewitnesses, said investigations revealed that the terrorists also used body cameras to record their barbaric act.
