Grief and Justice: Amit Shah Consoles Victims' Families, Rajnath Reviews Security Post-Pahalgam Attack

Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited the families of the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack on Wednesday at the police control room in Srinagar. The grieving families were seen in tears, demanding justice and urging that their loved ones' sacrifice should not be forgotten. Shah, who arrived in Srinagar just hours after the attack that claimed at least 28 lives, paid his respects by laying wreaths on the victims' coffins.

During his visit, Shah reassured the survivors and the victims' families that security forces would do everything possible to bring the perpetrators to justice. He condemned the attack as a "dastardly act of terror" and vowed that those responsible would face the harshest consequences. "We will come down heavily on the perpetrators," Shah said earlier in a post on X.

The attack, one of the deadliest on civilians in Kashmir since the revocation of Article 370, occurred on Tuesday at the scenic Baisaran meadows in Pahalgam. Heavily armed terrorists opened fire on a group of mostly non-local tourists, selectively targeting victims by separating men from their families before shooting them. A large-scale manhunt has been launched by the Indian Army and J&K Police in the region to track down those responsible.

In a show of solidarity, political parties and trade unions across the Kashmir Valley observed a complete shutdown on Wednesday, condemning the violence. Jammu and Kashmir's Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, along with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, offered floral tributes to the victims.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had been in Saudi Arabia, returned to Delhi early Wednesday morning. Upon arrival, he held an urgent briefing with senior officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. In an earlier post, PM Modi reaffirmed India's commitment to fighting terrorism, stating, "Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice... Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable."

In response to the attack, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh convened a high-level meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, and Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi to review the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Sources indicated that the matter would be further discussed in detail during a Cabinet Committee on Security meeting, likely to be held today. Singh was briefed by the senior military officials on the security situation in Pahalgam and surrounding areas.

Additional troops have been deployed near the attack site to carry out search and destroy operations to apprehend the terrorists responsible for the attack. "Senior officers have been deployed, and local security forces remain on high alert," sources said. Defence Minister Singh had earlier expressed his "deep anguish" over the attack, condemning it as a cowardly assault on innocent civilians. "My thoughts and prayers are with the innocent victims and their families," he said in a post on X.