A large crowd of hundreds of people from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds gathered in downtown San Jose on April 28, 2025, to protest a deadly terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 tourists and injured 17 others. This display marked as a sound demonstration of India's soft power.

San Jose has USA's largest software engineers base with the bulk of them being Indian software techies.

The vigil focused on uniting against what organisers called "radical Islamist terrorism," with participants drawing parallels to the October 7 attack in Israel and emphasizing solidarity across faiths.

Attendees included members of the Hindu American community, Jewish organisations like the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, and local officials, including Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. Rosen highlighted recent hate crimes targeting Hindu residents in 2024, stating his office filed charges to ensure community safety and pride in cultural identity.

The attack occurred in the Pahalgam area of Kashmir, a region with a decades-long territorial dispute between India and Pakistan, though Pakistan denied involvement.

In Kashmir, locals responded to the violence with unprecedented unity-holding candlelight vigils, organizing valley-wide shutdowns, and offering shelter to survivors, marking the first such collective protest in 35 years.

San Jose organisers, including Kashmiri expatriates who fled violence in the 1990s, framed the rally as part of a global stance against terrorism, with plans for additional demonstrations across the Bay Area. The event underscored both the geopolitical tensions surrounding Kashmir and the diaspora's efforts to address transnational extremism while combating local hate crimes.

Agencies