The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has formally taken over the investigation of the Pahalgam terror attack case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police, following orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The deadly Pahalgam attack, which occurred on April 22, 2025, at Baisaran Meadow near Pahalgam, resulted in the death of 26 tourists and the injury of over three dozen others, making it one of the most brutal terror attacks in recent times.
The NIA registered a fresh FIR late on April 26, 2025, and has since ramped up evidence collection at the site. The investigative team, led by senior officers, including an Inspector General (IG), Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and Superintendent of Police (SP), is questioning eyewitnesses in detail to reconstruct the sequence of events and examining entry and exit points to understand the terrorists' modus operandi.
Soon after the attack, it emerged that the attack had been claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), an outfit linked to the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Intelligence agencies have traced the digital footprints of the attackers to safe houses in Muzaffarabad and Karachi, suggesting a Pakistan-backed operation similar to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The NIA is also interrogating local terror aides and overground workers connected to LeT, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), and Hizbul Mujahideen.
The TRF was formed following the abrogation of Article 370 and initially operated as an online entity. Within six months, it evolved into a physical group by incorporating militants from various factions, including LeT. The outfit was founded by Kashmiri terrorist Sheikh Sajjad Gul, also known as Sheikh Sajjad.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)