SRINAGAR: Chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Director General Sadanand Vasant Date, along with Inspector General Vijay Sakhare and Deputy Inspector General Santosh Kumar Meena, arrived at the Pahalgam massacre location today. Other top-ranking officials also joined them as the inquiry into the blood-soaked carnage at Baisaran Valley pushes forward with urgency.
On April 27, the NIA officially assumed control of the investigation into the ghastly Pahalgam attack, stepping up its evidence-gathering operations and speaking to eyewitnesses to expose the full scope of the terror network behind the atrocity.
Investigation units led by an Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General, and a Superintendent of Police are rigorously questioning witnesses who were present when the savage killing unfolded in the scenic and tranquil expanse of Baisaran Valley in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
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In the premeditated strike, heavily armed terrorists gunned down unsuspecting male tourists who were strolling by food stalls, riding ponies, or relaxing with their families including children and elderly parents at the lush meadow famously referred to as ‘Mini Switzerland’ due to its breathtaking landscape.
Multiple NIA teams have fanned out across various parts of India to speak with those who survived the onslaught, which officials say was orchestrated by the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to agency sources, testimonies from victims’ relatives have already been gathered in Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal, and other states.
Authorities have also uncovered proof of satellite phones being used in the vicinity prior to the incident. Signals from two of these devices have been successfully identified and traced.
A resident who is believed to have taken refuge in a tree for over an hour after the initial gunfire erupted in Pahalgam has also been interrogated by the NIA for potentially vital information about the attackers. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also escorted him back to Baisaran Valley to reconstruct the sequence of events.
Investigators have retrieved data from the man’s mobile phone, as he is said to have witnessed the entire incident from a distance while remaining hidden.
According to eyewitness accounts shared with the agencies, at least three armed terrorists breached the area by scaling a chain-link fence surrounding the park. They reportedly advanced toward the center of the meadow, opening fire with precision.
Sources indicate that the park’s gate was left open during the chaos, allowing pony operators who were stationed outside to assist panicked tourists in escaping. The attackers then reportedly fled towards the adjacent forest and exited the area by climbing over the fence once again.
In a large-scale investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) along with intelligence units has so far questioned more than 150 people, including pony handlers, zipline staff, and local shawl vendors, as part of efforts to trace every possible lead in the Pahalgam terror case.
