On Wednesday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah felicitated personnel of the armed forces, paramilitary units, and Jammu and Kashmir Police who carried out ‘Operation Mahadev’, an offensive that eliminated the three Pakistan-backed gunmen responsible for the 22 April Pahalgam killings.
The minister praised the courage of the teams, noting that their swift action not only displayed remarkable bravery but also provided a sense of justice to the families devastated by the brutal holiday massacre at Baisaran Meadows.
Security forces tracked down and killed all those behind the 22 April carnage, in which they executed 26 people at close range after targeting them for their religion. Among the victims were 25 Hindus and one local Muslim pony handler.
The mission concluded shortly before the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
Shah briefed lawmakers about the outcome, stating that forensic and investigative evidence confirmed the slain terrorists were indeed the culprits behind the killings, which also claimed the life of a Nepalese tourist.
In a ceremony held earlier in the day, the Home Minister honoured armed forces personnel, CRPF commandos, and J&K Police officers.
Shah personally greeted each participant in the operation, presenting them with shawls and mementoes as tokens of appreciation.
Stories From the Field
The team members also shared their accounts of the three-month-long pursuit, explaining the challenges they faced in tracing and eliminating the assailants.
The Home Minister told the forces that both Operation Sindoor and Operation Mahadev had delivered an unmistakable warning to terror groups and their handlers about the cost of targeting Indian citizens.
Following the 22 April attack, the armed forces had struck terror camps and destroyed air bases in Pakistan between 6 and 10 May under Operation Sindoor.
While Operation Sindoor dealt a blow to Pakistan’s terror infrastructure, Operation Mahadev was launched to hunt down the Pahalgam attackers, who remained at large until being neutralised in the third week of July.
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