(RNS) — On April 22, tourists visiting the Indian side of the divided province of Kashmir were enjoying a spring afternoon in Baisaran, a lush mountain valley sometimes referred to as a “mini Switzerland,” when gunmen opened fire. The assailants “came at leisure,” said one survivor, shooting at families and young honeymooning couples, leaving 26 dead and injuring dozens.
And according to some survivors and Kashmiri locals, the assailants, suspected to be members of the pro-Pakistani Kashmir Resistance Front, singled out Hindus, who made up all but two of the victims, one of whom was reportedly made to recite Islamic sacred verses before he was shot.
The Kashmir Resistance Front is an alleged offshoot of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organization dedicated to taking all of Kashmir for neighboring Pakistan. Since the shooting, Indian authorities have demolished the homes of suspected militants and deported Pakistani citizens living in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied any ties with the terrorism, and the KRF has retracted initial claims of culpability.
In the United States, Hindu groups from Sacramento to Long Island to Washington have held vigils for the victims and protests against the terrorists. While some have expressed anger, not only at the loss of life but at what many see as a denial of Hindus’ …