NIA Takes Over Probe Into Pahalgam Terror Attack; Crackdown on Terror Intensifies

New Delhi/Srinagar: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally taken charge of the investigation into the horrific Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district, where 26 people, mostly tourists from other states, were killed. Officials said on Sunday that multiple NIA teams, overseen by senior officers including an Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General, and Superintendent of Police, are meticulously examining eyewitness accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events behind the attack at Baisaran valley.

The investigating teams are rigorously scrutinising the entry and exit points of the area, assisted by forensic and other technical experts, in an effort to unravel the full terror conspiracy. The NIA, which has been present at the site since Wednesday, has intensified the search for evidence under directives from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Meanwhile, security forces have escalated their crackdown on the terror network in Kashmir. The houses of three active terrorists — Adnan Shafi in Shopian, Amir Nazir in Pulwama, and Jameel Ahmad Shergojri of Lashkar-e-Toiba in Bandipora — have been demolished. This brings the total number of demolitions of terrorists’ and their associates' properties to nine since the Pahalgam incident.

Tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) also remain high, as Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing for the third consecutive night. Indian Army personnel responded effectively to the small arms fire across the Tutmari Gali and Rampur sectors. The Pahalgam terror attack has sharply escalated India-Pakistan tensions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to bring the perpetrators to justice, declaring that they would be pursued "to the ends of the earth.'