Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir) [India]: National Investigation Agency (NIA) Director General Sadanand Date arrived in Pahalgam on Thursday as the agency formally began its investigation into the April 22 terror attack, which killed 26 tourists and injured several others.
The NIA officially took over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday, registering a fresh FIR late Saturday following orders from the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Counter Terrorism and Counter Radicalisation (CTCR) division. The move comes after The Resistance Front (TRF)—a proxy of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)—claimed responsibility for the attack.
Sources told ANI that this is being viewed as the deadliest attack on civilians in the region in nearly two decades.
“The NIA has formally taken over the case from the Jammu and Kashmir Police and stated its investigation,”
— official sources told ANI.
The NIA team is conducting a comprehensive site inspection, collecting forensic evidence, and working to identify those behind the carnage. The agency had already deployed a team to assist local police just days after the incident.
14 Local Terror Aides Identified
As the probe gains momentum, intelligence agencies have compiled a list of 14 local terrorist operatives, aged between 20 and 40, suspected of providing logistical and ground-level support to foreign militants from Pakistan.
These individuals are linked to three major Pakistan-backed terror outfits:
- Hizbul Mujahideen: 3 operatives
- Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT): 8 operatives
- Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM): 3 operatives
Names revealed include:
Adil Rehman Dentoo (21), Asif Ahmed Sheikh (28), Ahsan Ahmed Sheikh (23), Haris Nazir (20), Aamir Nazir Wani (20), Yawar Ahmed Bhat, Asif Ahmed Khanday (24), Naseer Ahmed Wani (21), Shahid Ahmed Kutay (27), Aamir Ahmed Dar, Adnan Safi Dar, Zubair Ahmed Wani (39), Haroon Rashid Ganai (32), and Zakir Ahmed Ganie (29).
Wider Crackdown Underway
Security forces have intensified coordinated operations across South Kashmir, especially in Anantnag and Pulwama districts, believed to be key areas of operation for the suspects. Senior officials noted that the list is part of a larger intelligence dossier aimed at dismantling the local support network enabling cross-border terrorism.