The Indian American community has been plunged into mourning following the devastating terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025.

The brutality of the attack was stark: 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists-including one Nepalese national-were killed, and over 20 others were injured, making it the deadliest incident in the region since the 2019 Pulwama attack.

Survivor accounts and initial investigations reveal that the attackers specifically targeted victims based on their religion.

Tourists were reportedly asked to recite the Islamic Kalima and, in some cases, forced to undergo humiliating checks to determine their faith before being shot at close range. One survivor recounted that a woman was spared so she could "narrate the horrors" to the Indian Prime Minister, while others described attackers taking selfies with the bodies of those killed.

The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, initially claimed responsibility for the attack, which was allegedly motivated by opposition to demographic changes in Kashmir.

The shockwaves of this violence have reverberated across the Indian diaspora in the United States, particularly among Indian Americans in the Washington, DC metropolitan area (DMV) and other major cities. Vigils, prayer meetings, and processions have been held in Washington, DC, Houston, Seattle, Atlanta, and elsewhere, with mourners gathering to honour the victims and demand global recognition of the ongoing targeting of Kashmiri Hindus.

In these gatherings, participants-many of whom are Kashmiri Hindus or have roots in the valley-expressed deep anguish, recounting personal stories of displacement, loss, and trauma that echo the recent tragedy.

Speakers at these vigils called for stronger international action against targeted violence and for the world to acknowledge the decades-long suffering of Kashmiri Hindus.

Placards bearing messages such as “Stop Killing Innocents,” “Justice for Kashmir Victims,” and “Hindu Lives Matter” were displayed, and hymns and moments of silence underscored the solemnity of the events. The community’s grief was compounded by a sense of frustration over what they perceive as persistent denial and minimisation of their plight.

In the immediate aftermath, the Indian government launched a sweeping crackdown in Kashmir, targeting suspected terrorist infrastructure and detaining hundreds of individuals linked to militant networks.

The attack has reignited debates about security, the protection of minorities, and the future of tourism in the region, which had been striving to recover its reputation as a peaceful destination.

As the vigils concluded, the message from the Indian American community was clear: a plea for peace, justice, and recognition of the suffering endured by Kashmiri Hindus and other victims of terror. The pain of April 22 lingers, a stark reminder of the long shadows cast by violence across continents and generations.

ANI