Pahalgam Terror Attack: IB Officer From Bihar On LTC Leave Among the Victims of Kashmir Attack

In a heartbreaking terror attack on Tuesday in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, at least 28 tourists, including Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Manish Ranjan, were killed and several others injured.

Ranjan, who was vacationing with his wife and children, was shot dead in front of his family. The attack, the deadliest on tourists in the region since the 1990s, has left the area in grief and fear. The Resistance Front, said to be linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba and backed by the ISI, has claimed responsibility.

Manish Ranjan, originally from Bihar and stationed in Hyderabad, had taken time off for the trip under a Leave Travel Concession (LTC). His wife and children survived the attack, though their condition is not yet clear. Ranjan had been serving in the IB's ministerial section in Hyderabad for two years.

The timing of the strike, coinciding with US Vice President JD Vance's visit to India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to Saudi Arabia, suggests an attempt to draw international focus back on Kashmir.

The attack brings back painful memories of past tragedies like the Chittisinghpora massacre in 2000, where 36 Sikhs were killed just before US President Bill Clinton's visit to India. The timing of this attack also appears part of a larger strategy to highlight the Kashmir issue internationally. This aligns with Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir's recent statements supporting cross-border terrorism.

This latest terror strike - the deadliest since Article 370 was scrapped in 2019 - has again cast a dark shadow over Kashmir's tourism industry and raised questions about visitor safety. With the attack coming during major international events, it seems to be part of a larger plan to internationalize the Kashmir issue and challenge the region's stability.