Veteran actor Anupam Kher, himself a Kashmiri Pandit, has delivered an emotionally charged and powerful response to the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 tourists were killed and several others injured. His statement, shared in a heartfelt video on Tuesday night, resonates with the grief, fury, and trauma that the Kashmiri Hindu community has carried for decades.
Calling the incident a “massacre of Hindus”, Kher said he was overcome with both sorrow and rage after reports emerged that the attackers allegedly singled out victims based on religion before opening fire. According to Kher, such selective killing, in the name of identity, reflects an evil that is “beyond barbaric”.
“What happened today in Pahalgam – the massacre of Hindus, where 27 Hindus were killed one by one – brings immense grief, but there is also a rage that knows no bounds.”
He directly addressed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the strongest possible action against the terrorists. Kher implored the government to ensure that the punishment becomes an example for generations, such that no one would dare to commit such atrocities again:
“This time, the terrorists should be taught such a lesson that they aren’t even capable of committing such acts for the next seven lifetimes.”
Kher also spoke about the emotional impact of the now-viral image of a woman grieving beside her husband’s corpse, calling it "haunting" and "unforgettable." He referenced Ms. Pallavi, who survived the attack, saying she pleaded to be killed too, but the terrorists instructed her to “send a message”—a detail that Kher said was chilling and symbolic of their psychological warfare.
He made a significant connection to his 2022 film ‘The Kashmir Files’, which he said was often branded as propaganda, but now appears painfully prophetic:
“‘The Kashmir Files’ was just a small glimpse of that story – which many dismissed. But now, people can see for themselves.”
Broader Context
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The attack has been claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy group of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
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Home Minister Amit Shah is currently in Kashmir overseeing security and investigation updates.
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Prime Minister Modi, who returned early from his Saudi trip, held urgent consultations with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval on the matter.
Kher concluded his message by stating he was “restraining his words”, but couldn’t ignore the moral and national violation that such an act represents:
“Such an act is wrong in any part of the world, but for it to happen in our own country – this massacre – is extremely wrong. There must be justice.”
