Mainstream WeeklyThe barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack of April 22nd 2025 (ironically Earth Day) appallingly targetting Hindus, is shocking and condemnable beyond words. This latest terrorist attack is an attempt by the perpetrators, to intensify the narrative of religious communal division, by holding entire societies to ransom. A terrorist outfit named The Resistance Front, reportedly claims responsibility for the attack.
The President and PM and other constitutional appointees at Centre and the States, have expressed their shock and pain, condoled with the victims and their families, and assured all assistance and relief. All political parties and people across the nation are shocked, and unequivocally and strongly condemn the attack. PM Modi, has rightly assured the nation that those responsible for the heinous act will not be spared, and will be brought to justice, and that their evil agenda will never succeed.
The terrorists have effectively challenged Government. It is certain that Government will forcefully deploy its intelligence and security apparatus, and its police and military forces, to not only bring the killers to justice, but also to ensure that such abhorrent events do not recur.
The victims are peaceful tourists from a number of different states in India. The initial shock of the survivors and of the families of the victims, will inevitably turn to anger against the perpetrators of this heinous attack. As inevitably, they and their friends and associates, will demand revenge. This revenge will focus on the Muslim communities in their respective neighbourhoods, and even beyond.
This is an unpredictable tinder-box that may well spark an explosion of violence, resulting in continuous or at least continual communal violence. It will in turn, result in uncontrollable violence with permanent fragmentation of society and irreversible economic loss, at all levels of society.
There is enormous responsibility upon the Central government and every State and UT government, to ensure that effective pre-emptive measures are implemented, to prevent flaring up of spontaneous or planned social violence, from or by any community, against any other community. This is in the larger interest of the safety of the vast majority of people of all religious communities, who bear no personal ill-will against people of any specific religious community.
There may be three broad groups who may bear ill-will against another religious community. These are:
- The relatives and friends of the victims of Pahalgam and of earlier terrorist killings, whether perpetrated at the behest of Pakistan or otherwise, who will seek and demand revenge. [