We Want Their Heads: Jharkhand minister demands tough action after Pahalgam terror attack

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Ranchi, April 23: The brutal killing of 28 tourists in a terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir has sparked widespread outrage, with Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari demanding severe retaliation. “We don’t just want a strike – we want their heads,” said Ansari, speaking at a silent candlelight vigil held in Ranchi by the Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee (JPCC).

The demonstration, held at Ambedkar Chowk in Doranda, was attended by senior Congress leaders and party workers. They carried placards condemning the attack and questioning the country’s security apparatus.

Congress Slams Government Over Security Failures

Leaders including Alok Kumar Dubey, Lal Kishor Nath Shahdeo, Ajay Nath Shahdeo, and Youth Congress national secretary Rajesh Singh Sunny joined the march, expressing solidarity with the victims and raising serious concerns about national security.

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Dubey questioned the government’s response: “First Pulwama, then Uri, and now Pahalgam. The same cycle repeats – attack, outrage, silence. Where were our security agencies?” He added that statements alone won’t ease the pain of families who have lost loved ones, and called for the “strictest action and toughest laws” to prevent future attacks.

Call for Unity Over Politics

Speaking emotionally to reporters, Ansari said: “Terror has no religion. Do not politicise this. This is not the time for rhetoric, but for unity and justice.”

He criticised what he described as a pattern of terror incidents coinciding with the prime minister’s international visits, suggesting deeper issues in intelligence coordination. He called for a united national response to terrorism, stressing that the safety of citizens must override all else.

‘Not Just Rhetoric, But a Transparent Strategy’

Lal Kishor Nath Shahdeo, Congress’s state chief spokesperson, described the attack as a “heinous crime against humanity,” targeting guests who had come to see the beauty of Kashmir. “This is more than a failure of security; it’s an attack on our national conscience,” he said, urging the government to adopt a transparent, accountable security strategy.

Ajay Nath Shahdeo reiterated the Congress Party’s commitment to working with the government to combat terrorism, calling for coordinated and decisive action across party lines.