NIA appeals for public assistance in Pahalgam attack investigation
NEW DELHI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) released a public appeal today requesting that tourists, residents, and travellers who possess any information, photographs, or footage pertaining to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack to step forward and provide their support to the current investigation.
In a public statement issued through its official website and social media, the NIA has requested people to call the agency directly on mobile number 9654958816 or landline 011-24368800. Callers are also asked to leave their personal details and give a brief description of the type of information they would like to submit. A senior official of the NIA will then contact to receive the material, including photos or videos.
The action is part of the agency’s initiative to make sure no vital evidence is missed in the investigation into the targeted killing of 26 tourists and a local pony operator by terrorists in the Baisaran Valley region of Pahalgam, Anantnag. The terrorists, who were equipped with automatic rifles, targeted victims on the basis of religion, in one of the most gruesome acts of terrorism in the area.
The NIA has already obtained a significant amount of video and photographic material from the site and the vicinity and is going through a careful analysis. The agency, however, feels that there could be more unseen or unreported content in the hands of tourists, locals, or bystanders who were present during or prior to the attack.
“Someone might have accidentally recorded or seen something important that could yield crucial information regarding the attackers or their planning,” an NIA official said. “Even a small detail could assist in piecing together the sequence of events and unmasking the larger conspiracy.”
There are many videos and images pertaining to the assault, which are freely available on social media, including Facebook and Twitter, and are being carefully analysed by the NIA. NIA teams have also been based in Pahalgam since the attack, surveying the scene, gathering forensic evidence, and taking statements from eyewitnesses to reconstruct the chain of events.
The NIA, the officially designated lead agency investigating the bombing, reaffirmed its determination to track down and prosecute those behind what it called a “horrendous crime against humanity.”
The agency has appealed to the public to assist its investigation by coming forward with any bit of evidence, however insignificant it seems, that might help untangle the conspiracy behind the attack.
