NuzTube INDIA
Baisaran, Pahalgam, April 2025: What began as a serene day in the idyllic meadows of Baisaran in south Kashmir turned into a nightmare when armed terrorists struck without warning, leaving several tourists dead and many others traumatized.
Around 1,500 tourists had gathered in Baisaran—known for its lush greenery and pine-lined slopes—when chaos erupted. Vinay Bai, a tourist from Gujarat, recalled hearing gunshots just as he was entering the meadow on a pony. “I tried to flee, but a bullet hit me in the elbow. I couldn’t even tell where it came from,” he said.
According to police, survivors described the attackers as a group of three to four men dressed in what appeared to be security uniforms. Initially mistaken for local policemen, they asked tourists for their names before opening fire at close range, mainly targeting men and sparing most women.
“They asked a man to step out of a tent and then shot him after a brief conversation,” one survivor recounted. The terrorists were reportedly in the area for nearly 20 minutes, firing indiscriminately before disappearing into the surrounding forest.
With no road access to Baisaran, help came slowly. Local pony handlers and shopkeepers played a crucial role in transporting the wounded back to Pahalgam.
Pallavi Rao from Karnataka, whose husband Manjunath was shot dead, thought the initial gunshots were part of a military drill. “They spared women. It seemed they had a specific target—the men,” she told relatives.
The absence of immediate security presence in the isolated meadow highlights a serious lapse. Authorities are now considering permanent security deployments around such popular tourist destinations in Kashmir to prevent future tragedies.
