The Indian community across multiple cities in the United States held emotional vigils and prayer meets on Tuesday to honour the victims of the brutal Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The gatherings paid tribute to the 26 lives lost when terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists in the Baisaran Valley on April 22, targeting Hindus in a chilling act of religiously-motivated violence. Several others, including a Nepali national, were injured in the attack, which was later claimed by ‘The Resistance Front’, a proxy of the Pakistan-based terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Harrowing visuals of the massacre have circulated widely on social media, showing chaos and indiscriminate firing by the terrorists.

In Edison, New Jersey, more than 300 Indian-Americans from around 20 organisations came together to strongly condemn the attack. Edison Mayor Sam Joshi and New Jersey Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak joined the event to pay their respects.

“Standing united against terror and in solidarity with the victims,” the Consulate General of India in New York wrote on social media, sharing images from the vigil.

A separate ceremony in Connecticut saw 16 Indian associations unite in a show of compassion and strength. Attendees sang the Indian national anthem and carried placards and Indian flags, sending a message of peace, resilience, and a demand for justice.

In Columbus, Ohio, members of the Indian and Indian-American communities gathered in a moving display of unity, waving both Indian and American flags as they mourned the victims and called for accountability.

Vigils and protests also took place around the globe, including in Canada, Denmark, England, France, Finland, Germany, and Spain, as the diaspora expressed outrage and solidarity.

Disturbingly, relatives of several victims revealed that the attackers had asked individuals about their religion before targeting and executing those who identified as Hindu.

India has since taken strong diplomatic and strategic measures in response. Actions include the expulsion of Pakistani military attaches, suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, and immediate closure of the Attari land transit point.

Authorities have released sketches of three suspects believed to be behind the Pahalgam attack: Hashim Musa alias Suleman and Ali Bhai alias Talha Bhai, both Pakistani nationals, and Adil Hussain Thoker from Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district.