Chairs lying around in front of makeshift shops in Baisaran in Pahalgam, where 26 people were killed and several others injured 22 April | Photo Credit: Imran Nissar
After the first shots were released to the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam, South of Kashmir, April 22, two terrorists who had previously mixed with tourists, studied the crowd towards two other armed terrorists, who then segered and killed people based on religion (May 3, 2025).
Twenty -five tourists and a local ponies operator were killed in a terrorist attack.
Also read | Reaction to a terrorist attack in Pahalgam
The attack occurred in two to three points up to 50 meters from the point-cum-Exit point in Baisaran, and so far it seems that four men have been involved. The meadow is fenced from all sides.
“Both terrorists knew that the crowd would disperse after hearing shots, and intentionally driven people to armed terrorists,” the clerk said.
The official added that they received a specific intelligence entry on the attack on “hotels” in Srinagar and Dachigham 19 April, the daily Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to start the railway connection Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla. After the visit of the Prime Minister was canceled due to bad weather, tourists were focused on Baisaran.
“A lot of chatting was picked up by security agencies for a month before the terrorist attack on April 22. Therefore, higher police officers were placed in Srinagar four to five days before the attack and also tried to build on information,” the official said.
The second official said that the entry was general and suggested that the goal could be “security staff deployed in hotels”.
The first official added that it took more than one and a half hours for the army to reach the place when they were waiting for adequate staff to mobilize. The second official explained that this was a tactical step to prevent security forces.
Before the strengthening arrived in Baisaran, accessible only on foot or ponies, terrorists fled to the forests.
April 24, at a meeting of all sides, Interior Minister AMIT Shah reported the deputies that tourists were sent to Baisaran by nearby hotels without informing the police. He said there was no security presence on the day of the incident, and the tourist place is usually provided before the start of AMARNATH YATRA. This year it was expected that the place would be open for tourists on June 15, while Yatra started on July 3, MEPs were informed.
However, the first official quoted above stated that Baisaran Meadow is open all year round, except for the pilgrimage of AmarNath. The offer to maintain the tourist point was awarded to Bijbehara resident in August 2024 for the CRORE 3 GBP and there is no government order to indicate that it is a regulated area under safety watch.
The official added that two locals from South Kashmir, which are said to be involved in attacks, went to Pakistan in 2017–2018 through the integrated Attari-Wagah checkpoint in Pandjáb. “We mined the data of people who went to Pakistan, but did not return, and the names of two men of Kashmir were marked with a system, which forces us to believe that they could be involved in a terrorist attack,” the clerk added.
The official said after the attack the houses of nine people with terrorist records were thrown away in the south and northern Kashmir and demolition has stopped since then.
“It was justified with the Ministry of the Interior that the bombing of the homes of terrorists who left years ago did not serve any purpose. It only leads to alienation and spilling emotions and spontaneous support, which we witnessed after killing.
The official explained the possibility of local support to terrorists and said that terrorists who infiltrated from Pakistan depend less on local people on food and supplies.
“We noticed that they had threw themselves into locked shops, picked up all the items they wanted, and left double cash and apologies for the inconvenience they could have caused. But the Baisaran attack would not happen without the help of a local guide,” the clerk said.
He said that the Gujjar-Bakkarwal community is those who run ponies in this area and are investigated if they noticed some outsiders days before the attack.
Published – May 3 2025 20:59 IS IS
