BIG crackdown after Pahalgam terror attack, security forces detain several in Jammu and Kashmir

In a big crackdown, security forces on Wednesday detained several people in Jammu and Kashmir for questioning after a massive terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday.

At least 26 people, including two foreigners and two locals, died in the attack in Baisaran meadow, a picturesque town of Pahalgam.

Around 1,500 have been taken into preventive detention, reported several media outlets, quoting sources.

The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack has drawn strong condemnation from across the world.

Pahalgam Attack News LIVE

Rajnath Singh warns of strong response

Meanwhile, in the first clear indication of India's possible response to the incident, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that people involved in the cowardly terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam will get a "strong response" in the "near future" and India cannot be "intimidated" by any such terrorist acts.

He also said that India will not only hunt down those who perpetrated the attack but will also trace the people who conspired to carry out the nefarious act on Indian soil while "sitting behind the scenes"

The high-level meeting chaired by Singh also discussed all possible aspects of the situation that emerged in Jammu and Kashmir following the terror attack, the sources said, declining to share further details.

PM Modi chairs meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to deliberate on the government's strategy. Besides the prime minister, Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were present at the meeting, along with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and senior bureaucrats.

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha, also chaired a security review meeting. The meeting was attended by the Chief Secretary, DGP and all senior civil administration and police officials.

Blow to tourism in Kashmir

Tourism and hospitality sector in Jammu and Kashmir also got a set-back with travel agencies in several parts of the country reporting widespread cancellations of scheduled trips.

Travel agents in J&K said most of the tourists were leaving the valley due to fear.

"We know tourists have by and large been safe in Kashmir but with such an incident happening here, one cannot expect them to stay back. The cancellations are massive, close to 80 per cent," reported PTI quoting Aijaz Ali, a travel operator from Srinagar.

Diabolic act, says SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that the  diabolical act of mindless violence has shaken the conscience of all and is a stark reminder of the brutality and inhumanity that terrorism unleashes

The attack on tourists, the statement said, who were merely enjoying the natural beauty of the "Crown Jewel" of India, Kashmir, is undoubtedly an affront to the values of humanity and the sanctity of life and the court strongly condemns the same.