Pahalgam LIVE: Massive anti-terror crackdown in Srinagar, Doda, Kishtwar

'I speak for myself': Shashi Tharoor after his remarks spark row

Karnataka CM slams security lapses, blames Centre

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday criticised the lack of security presence when terrorists killed innocent tourists at Pahalgam in Kashmir, and sought to know whether it was not a "failure" of security and intelligence under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Strongly rejecting criticisms of his "no need for war" comments, which were amplified by Pakistan media, the Congress leader dismissed them as "false propaganda" while holding the central government accountable for its "failures".

The Chief Minister was addressing the “Samvidhan Bachao and Anti Price Rise Rally" here that was attended by AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala, Deputy CM D K Shivakumar, a host of Congress leaders, and Ministers of his cabinet.

"When terrorists killed people including those from Karnataka, there was not even a single policeman there. There was not even a single Indian Army personnel there. Isn't this a security failure? Few years ago the Pulwama terror incident happened. What was intelligence and security doing?" he asked. PTI

Congress fully supports govt's steps aimed at safeguarding country: Mir

Congress general secretary Gulam Ahmed Mir on Monday strongly condemned the Pahalgam terror attack, denouncing it as inhumane and barbaric, and said the party supports the government's initiatives aimed at safeguarding the country and restoring peace and normalcy.

Mir, the leader of the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) in Jammu and Kashmir, highlighted the countrywide protests against the terror strike, emphasising that India is united in its response to this dastardly attack.

Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were killed and several injured when terrorists opened fire at a meadow near the popular tourist town of Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on April 22.

Speaking on a resolution passed in the Assembly to condemn the terror strike, Mir emphasised the Congress's unwavering support to the government's efforts to restore peace and ensure safety.

"The Congress fully supports the government's initiatives aimed at safeguarding the country and restoring peace and normalcy. We have passed a resolution reaffirming our full backing for any necessary security measures," he said. PTI

Odisha to cancel ration cards issued illegally to foreign nationals

Following the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, including one from Odisha, the state government has decided to cancel ration cards illegally issued to foreign nationals over the years, officials said on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, state Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Minister KC Patra said all district collectors have been instructed to immediately revoke ration cards issued to Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Burmese nationals residing in the state.

"We have tightened our stance after the terror attack. Foreign nationals staying across the state must not avail the benefits meant for Indian citizens," Patra said.

The Minister said ration cards illegally issued to foreign nationals over the years must be cancelled immediately.

Patra said the foreign nationals mostly stay in Balasore, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts located along the state's coastal belt.

He asserted that the administration would soon identify the foreigners availing the benefits.

Apart from 11 Pakistanis, the state government has so far identified 3,738 Bangladeshis staying illegally in the state.

However, the government has no data on the number of Burmese people in the state, home department sources said. PTI

Pahalgam attack: Hindu right groups calls for shutdown in Mathura on May 1

Hindu right groups have called for a complete shutdown of markets in the district on May 1 in protest against the Pahalgam terror attack, a leader of the group said on Monday.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Sangh Vichar Parivar held at Deendayal Nagar Saraswati Shishu Mandir school late Sunday evening.

Vijay Banta, Mahanagar Karyavah of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, said the shutdown is being organised with the support of VHP and like-minded Hindu outfits to condemn the killing of 26 people in Pahalgam, allegedly carried out by Pakistan-backed actors.

Speakers at the meeting urged the Indian government to destroy terrorist bases and respond strongly to Pakistan, Banta said.

He said that all shopkeepers and traders have been urged to keep their establishments closed on May 1 in solidarity.

Local MLA Shrikant Sharma, VHP Organisation Minister Rajesh Kumar, Umakant, RSS Sah Vibhag Karyavah Dr Sanjay Agarwal, VHP City President Kanhaiya Lal Agarwal, Hindu Jagran Manch's Surendra Kaushik, and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's Organisation Minister Divyanshu attended the meeting.

Terrorists gunned down 26 people, mostly holidayers, on April 22 in Kashmir Valley's Pahalgam in a targeted attack. PTI

Pahalgam attack: Cong tells its leaders to toe party line or refrain from commenting

Directing its leaders to either toe the party line or refrain from commenting on the Pahalgam attack, the Congress on Monday asserted that only the recent CWC resolution along with the views expressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and authorised AICC office-bearers represent its position on the sensitive issue.

The opposition party's assertion comes in the wake of remarks by leaders like Vijay Wadettiwar, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Shashi Tharoor, Tariq Hameed Karra and Saifuddin Soz that have triggered a row, with the BJP alleging that some from the opposition party were speaking "Pakistan's language".

The Congress Working Committee had termed the Pahalgam attack masterminded by Pakistan as a direct assault on the values of our republic. It also called for a comprehensive examination of intelligence failures and security lapses.

Both Kharge and Gandhi had expressed support for the government on whatever action it takes on the matter.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, "The Congress Working Committee had met on April 24, 2025, and passed a resolution on the brutal terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam two days earlier.

"Thereafter, on the evening of April 24, 2025, the Congress President and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha attended the all-party meeting and put forward the party's views." "Some Congress leaders have been speaking to the media. They speak for themselves and do not reflect the Congress' views.

"There should be absolutely no doubt whatsoever at this most sensitive of times that the CWC resolution, the views expressed by Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi and the views of authorised AICC office-bearers ALONE represent the position of the Congress (sic)," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Later, the Congress general secretary told PTI, "As the situation evolves, the Congress Working Committee, the Congress president, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha will be articulating the party's position and other leaders should either articulate the party line or refrain from commenting on the sensitive issue." PTI

'Bomb justice' in Kashmir just optics: TMC's Sagarika Ghose

Amid demolition of houses of alleged terrorists in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sagarika Ghose on Monday said after "bulldozer justice" in Uttar Pradesh, which was ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, "bomb justice" is being witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a post on X, Ghose said a "decisive fight against terror" is required, instead of "optics".

"After bulldozer justice in UP is ruled illegal by the Supreme Court , now 'bomb justice' in Kashmir," she said.

The deputy parliamentary party leader of the TMC in the Rajya Sabha questioned why the government waited so long if it knew that the houses belonged to terrorists.

"If security agencies knew where homes of terrorists are located, why did it require Pahalgam terrorist attack for this kind of action?" she asked.

"Narendra Modi government: less optics please, a decisive fight against terror is needed. Punish the guilty. Don't use collateral damage in Kashmir for headline management," Ghose said.

As security forces continued their crackdown on the terror ecosystem following the Pahalgam terror attack, the houses of at least nine alleged terrorists have been demolished in Jammu and Kashmir. The security forces have raided more than 500 locations in the valley in just five days and grilled hundreds of suspects. PTI 

'CAA was brought to target minorities,' says TMC MP as Pak nationals return

In wake of the Centre revoking visas for Pakistani nationals, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Monday questioned the rationale behind the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), alleging that it was brought just to target the minorities, just like the Waqf Amendment Act.

Gokhale, a Rajya Sabha MP from TMC, said only 350 people have been given Indian citizenship under the CAA.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs release, the revocation of visas does not apply to the long term visas already issued to Hindu Pakistani nationals, which "remain valid." Gokhale, however, on X said, "(Narendra) Modi Government claimed that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was to 'provide citizenship to persecuted minorities from neighboring countries.' Truth is only 350 people have been given citizenship." The Union Home Ministry has not made public any data regarding citizenships granted under the CAA so far.

"Now, with the cancelling of visas, minorities from Pakistan who came after 2014 cut-off date (in the last 11 years) will be deported back to that country. The Pakistani Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, & Parsis, who Amit Shah said he was 'protecting,' will be deported back to Pakistan or jailed," Gokhale claimed.

The CAA 2019 allows religious minorities (Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, or Christian) from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, who entered India before December 31, 2014 to get Indian citizenship through fast track.

The passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in Parliament in 2019 led to an uprising among the Muslims and led to massive protests across country with several student groups supporting them, leading to jailing of many. PTI

Give job in gov't legal dept to kin of Pahalgam attack victim from Pune: Sule

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) working president Surpiya Sule on Monday demanded that the daughter of a Pune resident, who was among the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, be recruited in the Maharashtra government's legal department.

Sule also demanded that on the occasion of Maharashtra Day on May 1, family members of those who have lost their loved ones in the April 22 carnage be given Nagarik Shaurya Award (civilian bravery award) as a mark of respect for their resilience and spirit.

Of the 26 people killed in the Pahalgam terror attack -- most of them tourists -- six were residents of Maharashtra, including two from Pune -- Santosh Jagdale and Kaustubh Ganbote. Jagdale and Ganbote were close friends and were on vacation to Jammu and Kashmir with their families when terrorists struck in Pahalgam, a tourist hotspot.

Talking to reporters here, Sule said Asavari Jagdale, daughter of Sanotsh Jagdale, will soon become a lawyer.

"Asavari Jagdale is a very bright woman and the way she conducted herself during the crisis must be lauded. She is going to be a lawyer in coming months. My request to the government is that she be hired in the legal department of Maharashtra and given an opportunity to serve the state," said the Lok Sabha MP from Baramati in Pune district. PTI

Fadnavis, Bawankule slam Wadettiwar for 'terrorists have no caste or religion' statement

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his cabinet colleague Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday slammed senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar for claiming terrorists have no caste or religion, the statement coming in the backdrop of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

The Congress leader's statement had rubbed salt in the wounds of the families who lost their loved ones in the horrific attack, the CM said.

Twenty-six people were gunned down by terrorists in Pahalgam in Kashmir's Anantnag district on April 22. Eye-witnesses and survivors in their interactions with media have claimed the terrorists had marked out non-Muslims.

The relatives have clearly said what happened when the terrorists attacked tourists at Pahalgam, the CM said.

Wadettiwar was not even at the spot at the time, the CM pointed out.

"Such statements are like rubbing salt in the wounds of the relatives. This is very bad. I don't know whether to call this stupidity," Fadnavis said.

In a post on X, Bawankule, also the Maharashtra BJP president, termed Wadettiwar's statement as the "height of insensitivity" and said it displays an "anti-national mindset".

"It has been repeatedly proven that Hindus are targeted in Kashmir, so in which world is Vijay Wadettiwar living? By claiming that terrorists have no caste or religion, who is Wadettiwar trying to please?" Bawankule questioned.

"Through his statement, Vijay Wadettiwar is making a disgusting attempt to shield terrorists and provide them protection. This is not just irresponsibility; it is a clear example of an anti-national mindset," he said, adding that every Indian who loves the country must condemn such remarks. PTI