New Delhi:
US Vice President JD Vance touched down in New Delhi on Monday for his first official visit to India. And just as it happened during former President Bill Clinton’s trip in 2000, a brutal terrorist attack took place in Jammu and Kashmir, once again during a high-profile American leader’s visit to the country. This time, the valleys of Pahalgam were the site of horror.
Terrorists on Tuesday opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley, a popular meadow near Pahalgam in Anantnag district. At least 26 civilians, mostly tourists, were killed, and more than 20 others were injured.
The 2000 Chittisinghpura Massacre
In March 2000, just hours before then US President Bill Clinton arrived in India for a landmark state visit, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed one of its most chilling terror attacks.
On the evening of March 20, in the remote village of Chittisinghpora in Anantnag district, a group of armed men – dressed in what appeared to be Indian Army uniforms – entered the predominantly Sikh village at around 7:20 pm. They avoided the main mountain roads and approached silently through apple orchards and rice fields, under the cover of darkness.
With electricity cut off, villagers were using candles and lanterns, many listening to news about the American president’s visit on transistor radios. Unaware of the looming threat, some had just returned from evening prayers at the local gurudwaras.
The attackers split into groups and began rounding up Sikh men from near the temples, shops, and homes. In total, 37 men were detained. Among them were two villagers who approached the commotion with lanterns, likely trying to help.
The men were herded together and shot at close range. Thirty-five died on the spot, while two survived.
This was the first large-scale targeting of the Sikh community in Kashmir’s decade-long insurgency. Until then, Sikhs had largely remained outside the scope of the conflict.
The 2025 Pahalgam Attack
On Tuesday, around 2:50 pm, about four to six terrorists, disguised in military-style uniforms, emerged from the surrounding forests of Baisaran meadow – a popular tourist spot accessible only by foot or pony – and opened fire on a crowd of visitors.
Witnesses reported that the terrorists initially posed as policemen, asking for names before suddenly opening fire.
Survivors recounted that the attackers singled out non-Muslims, asking victims to recite the Kalma – the Islamic declaration of faith. Those who failed were shot.
One survivor recalled an attacker telling a woman she was being spared so she could “go tell” Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the horrors of the attack.
Among the dead were a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer and an Intelligence Bureau official.