धर्म एव हतो हन्ति धर्मो रक्षति रक्षितः।

तस्माद्धर्मो न हन्तव्यो मा नो धर्मो हतोऽवधीत्॥

Dharma: Our shared moral foundation translates not only into personal conduct but into public policy and law. It is visible in our Constitution, in our criminal codes, and above all, in the State’s duty to protect life. But when citizens are targeted and killed purely for their religious identity, it becomes even more important to ask: who is upholding dharma?

On April 22, 2025, Pahalgam’s Baisaran Valley witnessed one of the worst civilian massacres in recent years. 26 people were gunned down by terrorists from The Resistance Front, a Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot. According to survivors, the victims were asked their names and caste before being executed. This included Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, a 26-year-old Indian Navy officer on leave.

This was not a general act of terror. It was deliberate communal targeting.

What deepens the tragedy is the geopolitical context. The attack coincided with US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to India and Prime Minister Modi’s diplomatic trip to Saudi Arabia. In fact, the first quarter of 2025 had seen over half a million tourists visiting Kashmir, a sign of increasing stability in the region. This massacre was intended to disrupt that progress.

Under India’s Constitution, states handle “public order" (State List, Seventh Schedule), but Jammu and Kashmir, as a Union Territory post the 2019 Reorganisation Act, is different. The Central government, through the Lieutenant Governor, calls the shots on law and order, including the J&K Police. Agencies like IB and R&AW answer only to the Union, not the elected National Conference-led UT government.

Still, the UT........

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