New York: Members of the Indian community across various parts of the United States on Tuesday held prayer meets and vigils to express solidarity with the victims of the brutal Pahalgam terror attack.
The gatherings were organised in memory of the victims of the heinous assault in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where terrorists deliberately targeted Hindus and shot them dead.
The attack was later claimed by ‘The Resistance Front’, an offshoot of the banned Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.
In the attack, terrorists had opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley, killing 26 people and injuring several others, including a Nepali national.
Harrowing visuals of the attack, showing chaos and indiscriminate firing by the terrorists, have flooded social media.
In Edison, New Jersey, more than 300 members representing around 20 organisations of the Indian-American community gathered to condemn the horrific terrorist attack strongly.
Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and New Jersey Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak also attended the tribute event to pay homage to the victims.
“Standing united against terror and in solidarity with the victims,” the Consulate General of India in New York posted on social media while sharing pictures of the gathering.
A separate tribute ceremony was held in Connecticut, where sixteen Indian associations united to honour the victims in a heartfelt show of solidarity and compassion.
Participants sang the national anthem and conveyed a powerful message of peace, resilience, and collective strength. They held placards with slogans in support of India and waved Indian flags, demanding justice for the victims.
In Columbus, Ohio, community members waving Indian and American flags came together in a moving display of unity and grief, showing resilience against the horrific terror attack.
Meanwhile, Indian community members around the world staged massive protests on Sunday against the terror attack, demanding justice for the victims. Demonstrations were organised in Canada, Denmark, England, France, Finland, Germany, Spain, and the United States.
Family members of several victims revealed that terrorists had approached them individually and inquired about their religion — those who identified themselves as Hindu were executed on the spot.
In response to the attack, India imposed a series of stringent measures against Pakistan, including the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the key Indus Waters Treaty, and immediate closure of the Attari land-transit post.
Sketches of three terrorists suspected of being involved in the Pahalgam attack have been released.
The suspects have been identified as Hashim Musa alias Suleman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, both residents of Pakistan, and Adil Hussain Thoker, a native of Anantnag district.
(IANS)
