Pahalgam residents flip an Anurag Thakur line on its head to show solidarity—'Desh ke gaddaron ko…'

The Print

23-04-2025

'We condemn this act. It boils our blood because this is our rozi-roti (livelihood). It's not just us, our families are also grieving,' said 35-year-old Tariq Ahmed, who drives a tourist cab in Pahalgam.
Multiple political parties, religious groups and trade bodies had called for a day-long 'bandh' or shutdown in the Kashmir valley in protest. Those killed in Tuesday's attack included several tourists and one local resident.
New Delhi: A day after 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Pahalgam's Baisaran Valley in Kashmir, locals residents and traders held protests demanding justice for the victims of the massacre.
'We observed the protest, not on the behalf of any religious or political organisation, but our own,' he said.
Multiple slogans were raised during the protest march. Some hailed the Indian Army: 'Indian Army Zindabad', 'Hum Hindustani hai, Hindustan hamara hai (we are Indians, India belongs to us)'
One that stood out was 'Hindustan ke gaddaro ko, goli maro salo ko (shoot down the traitors of India)—a slogan that was originally chanted by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Anurag Thakur ahead of the 2020 Delhi polls in an apparent attempt to polarise voters along communal lines. The slogan had come to be associated with those protesting against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act at the time.
Pahalgam residents, however, used the same slogan to send out the opposite message—standing against the terrorists, in solidarity with the families of victims, who were all Hindus, except one.
Residents say that it is the 'first time in 30 years that such untoward incident has taken place' in the valley.
'We work hard so that our children have good education and a better future, but this has brought everything to a standstill. We don't know what will happen to our families now,' said 50-year-old Ramzan, who runs a transportation business.
Almost 800 cab drivers at two tourist taxi stands in Pahalgam participated in the protest.
As tourists exited the hill station in droves after the attack, all cab drivers and transport business owners announced free taxi services.
Ghulam Hassan Wani, a 55-year-old transporter, told ThePrint, 'We organised 50-60 cab services free of cost. This cannot ease their pain, but we thought it would be a good gesture to help them reach their destinations.'
The transporters also offered financial assistance to tourists in need.
The protesters carried placards, which read: 'Stop innocent killings, I am Indian', 'as Pahalgamis, we condemn this', and so on.
The Pahalgam pony ride operators' association also provided free rides to the attack site at Baisaran Valley for various government personnel and security officials involved in the investigation.
'Not just today, yesterday also we threw ourselves in the rescue efforts. Many lost their ponies in that chaos,' said Sajad, who ferries tourists to the valley from the town.
The probe is currently underway. Home Minister Amit Shah visited the spot Wednesday to take stock and met the victims' families.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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