On April 22, 2025, a horrific terrorist attack occurred in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The brutal assault resulted in the deaths of at least 28 innocent Indian civilians, primarily Hindu tourists, and left over 20 others severely injured.
The Indian diaspora has responded with an outpouring of solidarity. In San Jose, California, on Sunday, April 27th, about 350 people & civic officials gathered at City Hall, holding placards with messages such as “In memory of the Kashmir victims gone but never forgotten” and “We stand for peace”. The event featured emotional speeches, with participants expressing shock and grief over the senseless violence.
Prasanna Kulakarni introduced the Hindu and Jewish organizations that participated in the vigil, as well as many public representatives from across the Bay Area cities.
Jeff Rosen, Santa Clara District Attorney, spoke first, saying there are people crying today in Kashmir in India. He said, if Bay Area citizens are able to connect with senseless local tragedies and street shootings, they will also be equally able to connect with the senseless and unjust violence happening to Hindus in Kashmir. Rosen further mentioned that terror had no border and there should be no border when handing punishment to those evil men in the world, who singled out Hindus and shot them in the head. He called out that everyone who stands for justice should lend their voice to the voices of a billion people in India who are fighting to bring the barbarians to justice, and said there should be consequences for anyone who is engaged in terrorism.
Tom Pyke, District Director of Congressman Ro Khanna, read the message on behalf of the Congressman. He stated that the US should continue to stand with India to uphold the rule of law and justice. He further noted that society had a responsibility to those who perished in the mindless killing, and that those killed shouldn’t let their deaths be lost in vain; it was time to bring the violators to justice.
Assemblyman Patrick Ahrens (District 26) expressed deep sadness, but said there was hope in the alliances coming together to fight for justice. He said that Hindus have alliances among Bay Area Jews and American citizens.
Dorene Kastleman – President of the Jewish Democratic Coalition of the Bay Area spoke about unequivocal support, and that the Democratic party is pushing to pass a resolution against the Pahalgam terrorism, across Santa Clara and San Jose cities.
She was joined by Gillie Yahalom, Alliance Director of Bay Area Jewish Coalition, who stated that the Jews had experienced the same hate that Hindus are being subjected to, and that the Jews will stand together with the Hindu brothers.
Rinu Nair, Fremont School District Trustee, spoke about how she has come to appreciate the pluralism and acceptance Hinduism has for diverse thoughts, having been brought up in a Hindu family. She expressed grief that Hindus are being persecuted for their beliefs and not for anything they have done, and that a sense of safety for Hindus is lost and shaken.
Carmen Montano, Mayor of the City of Milpitas, called the terrorist activity reprehensible, and that some with religious extremist thoughts have twisted the word of god, and it was time for elected officials to support the victims.
Raj Salwan, Mayor of Fremont, said he came to the event with a heavy heart, just like everyone else at the vigil. He called terrorism anywhere unacceptable and needs to be addressed.
All of the attendees denounced terrorism.
Ashwini Kulkarni said it was time we recognized the radical Islamist thinking behind the terror. She said political correctness had cost many innocent lives across New York, New Orleans, Paris, London, Israel, Delhi, and across the globe in various terror attacks, but numbers speak, with over 60000 terrorist activities in the last 40 years, mostly originating from the radical Islamist thoughts. She spoke about the courage displayed by Pallavi, wife of one of the victims, Manjunath Rao, whom the terrorist asked to report to Modi about what had happened.
The program ended with Narayanananda, Monk of Balaji Temple, praying for the departed souls, chanting the Gayatri Mantra, and calling for world peace.
Several civic leaders who couldn’t attend the vigil sent the messages.
David Haubert, Alameda County Supervisor, conveyed that he is introducing a Declaration in the County board denouncing the terrorist act, the first of its kind in the USA.
Liang Chao, Mayor of Cupertino: “As Mayor of Cupertino, I strongly condemn the brutal terrorist attack that occurred on April 22 in Pahalgam, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India, where 26 innocent civilians, targeted for being Hindu, were murdered. Terrorism, in all its forms and under any justification, has no place in our global society. Whether the victims are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, or of any other faith, the loss of innocent lives is a tragedy for all humanity. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. Cupertino is home to a diverse and compassionate community. Let us stand together to build a world where no one is targeted for who they are, what they believe, or their opinions. We stand in solidarity with all communities affected by this violence, and we must remain united in speaking out against hate and extremism everywhere.”
Sunnyvale Mayor Larry Klein: “Sunnyvale stands in solidarity with the people of India during this time of mourning. We condemn this atrocity in the strongest terms and reaffirm our commitment to promoting peace and security both locally and globally. As a diverse and inclusive community, we recognize the importance of unity in the face of hatred and violence. We will continue to work with our residents to foster understanding and resilience against such terrorist acts. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible tragedy.”
Lisa M. Gillmor, Mayor of Santa Clara: “As Mayor of Santa Clara, California, I am deeply shocked and horrified by the heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir on April 22nd. The deliberate targeting and killing of innocent tourists based on their religious identity represents an unconscionable act of hatred and violence that we must condemn in the strongest possible terms. I join the international community in calling for justice, and reaffirm my commitment to promoting peace, religious tolerance, and human dignity across all borders. Acts of terrorism have no place in our world, and we must unite against those who seek to divide us through violence.”
List of Public Representatives and Organizations that attended the vigil in addition to the ones mentioned above:
Charlsie Chang – Sunnyvale City Council member
Kitty Moore – Vice-Mayor, Cupertino City Council
Arjun Batra – Ex-city Council Member, San Jose
Bimal Bhagwat – Economic Commission, Milpitas
Deepak Awasthi – Planning Commission, Milpitas
Neetu Garg – Santa Clara Cultural Commission
Rishi Kumar – Santa Clara County Democratic Committee
Satish Vale – Central Committee of CADEM
Shashi Begur – Library Board Member, Cupertino
Americans for Hindus (A4H)
Association of Indo Americans (AIA)
Ambedkar-Phule Network Of American Dalits and Bahujans (APNADB)
Avanti Foundation
Balaji Temple
Bay Area Vaishnav Parivaar
Central Committee of CADEM
Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA)
Federation of Gujarati Associations of USA (FOGA-USA)
Friends Of Bharat
Gujarati Cultural Association (GCA)
Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (Gopio)
Hindu American Foundation (HAF)
Hindu Education Foundation (HEF)
HinduPACT
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS)
Indo American Community Federation (IACF)
India Alliance Foundation
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
Jewish Democratic Coalition of the Bay Area
Kannada Koota of Northern California (KKNC)
Kashmiri Overseas Association (KOA)
Krishna Balram Mandir, Milpitas
Nair Service Society
Run For Life
Sewa international
Sunnyvale Hindu Temple
United Hindu Council (UHC)
Uttar Pradesh Mandal Of America (UPMA)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA)
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