Kashmir: Pahalgam Attack Reminds Sikhs of Chittisinghpora Massacre

On 22 Apr, five armed men attacked male tourists in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), killing 26 and injuring more than 20, in the deadliest incident of its kind in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The incident took place in Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist destination near Pahalgam which did not have any security cover. At the time of the incident, US Vice President James Vance was visiting India. The killers targeted Hindus, one Muslim man and two foreigners were also killed. The incident was similar to the March 2000 targeted killing of 35 Sikhs in Chittisinghpora village, J&K a night before the US President Bill Clinton was to visit India. Panjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann held a security meeting and the state has been placed on high alert. The Akal Takht (Eternal Throne) acting Jathedar (leader) Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack. Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee president Harjinder Singh Dhami said the act was inhumane and brutal. He said spiritual and humanitarian teachings did not promote such violence. Soon after the Baisaran killings, Sikhs in Kashmir opened Gurdwaras to lodge and feed stranded tourists. The Shahi Imam (Royal Mosque leader) of Panjab, Maulana (scholar) Muhammad Usman Rahmani Ludhianvi said those responsible for the Pahalgam attack should be ‘publicly hanged.’ During their Friday prayers, Muslims in Panjab wore black bands. No perpetrator of the Pahalgam attack has been apprehended yet. In a quarter century, the Indian government has also not been able to find the perpetrators of the Chittisinghpora attacks. Yet, India has blamed Pakistan for both the Chittisinghpora and Pahalgam attacks. Pakistan has denied involvement. Incidentally, on 24 Apr, Pakistan Rangers detained an Indian Border Security Force soldier, Purnam Kumar Sahu, after he accidentally crossed the Panjab border near Ferozepur. There has been no official statement from India on Sahu’s detention. Sahu’s wife Rajani has now gone to Pathankot to meet senior officers and secure his release.