Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in New Delhi after cutting short his Saudi Arabia visit following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 persons and left 17 others injured, ANI reported.

Modi held a meeting with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at the Delhi airport, The Indian Express reported.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Pahalgam later in the day, where he met with survivors of the terror attack and paid homage to those who lost their lives. He also visited the site of the attack.

“Bharat will not bend to terror,” Shah said in a post on X. “The culprits of this dastardly terror attack will not be spared.”

The attack took place on Tuesday in the Baisaran area, which is located nearly four km from the tourist spot of Pahalgam in Anantnag district.

Two to three militants fired indiscriminately at a group of tourists, most of whom were from outside the state.

Of those who died, six were from Maharashtra, three each from Gujarat and Karnataka, two from West Bengal, and one each from Jammu and Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha and Kerala. One of those who died was from Nepal.

Some of the victims were asked by the attackers to identify themselves by name and religion, a police official, who declined to be identified, told Scroll.

This is the first major terrorist attack targeting civilians in Kashmir since the Union government revoked Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019.

The Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives, Rs 2 lakh for the seriously injured and Rs 1 lakh for those with minor injuries, The Indian Express reported.

Shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir

Political parties and religious leaders in Jammu and Kashmir called for a complete shutdown on Wednesday to protest the militant attack.

Kashmir’s chief cleric and Hurriyat Conference leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Tuesday asked the people of the Union Territory to participate in the shutdown “in support and solidarity with the bereaved families of those killed”.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti extended her support to the strike saying: “I appeal all Kashmiris to unite in solidarity to support this bandh as a mark of respect for the innocent lives lost in the brutal assault in Pahalgam. This isn’t just an attack on a select few – it is an attack on all of us.”

The ruling National Conference also extended its support to the shutdown.

“On the instruction of the Party President, JKNC joins the collective call for a bandh in strong condemnation of the Pahalgam terror attack,” the party said in a post on X. “We appeal to the people of J&K to ensure the hartal called by religious and social leaders is a complete success.”

In the wake of the attack, Modi said on social media that those behind the “heinous act” would be brought to justice.

“Their evil agenda will never succeed,” the prime minister said. “Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”

Opposition urges Centre to take responsibility

The Opposition has called for the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government to take responsibility for the incident.

Rahul Gandhi, the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said: “Instead of making hollow claims of the situation being normal in Jammu and Kashmir, the government should now take accountability and take concrete steps so that such barbaric incidents do not happen in the future and innocent Indians do not lose their lives like this.”

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge called the attack a “blot on humanity”.

“India’s National Security is paramount and we urge the GOI [government of India] to take corrective measures to ensure the same,” Kharge said in a post on X.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences and said “this act of violence is utterly reprehensible and must not go unpunished”.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin denounced the “barbaric act that shocks the conscience” and stated that he has directed the Resident Commissioner in Delhi to work with officials in Jammu and Kashmir to ensure full support is extended to the families of those from Tamil Nadu who were affected.