Kashmiri Hindus of Lexington mourn the victims of the recent terror attack in Kashmir.

On April 22, the Lexington Hindu community was devastated by a horrific terror attack in Pahalgam, in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir. At least 26 people, mostly Hindus and one Christian, were brutally murdered in front of their wives and toddlers. Survivors confirmed that the attackers verified the victims’ religious identity — looking at ID cards and checking for circumcision — to single out non-Muslims. A local Muslim also lost his life though he was not an initial target. An offshoot of the Pakistan-based radical Islamist group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, a US and UN-designated terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for the massacre.

This is not an isolated incident but part of a broader and ongoing pattern of Hinduphobic religiously motivated violence. The Pahalgam massacre echoes the 1990 exodus of Kashmiri Hindus which was 7th in a series of genocide-like persecution spanning centuries. In recent times, the ethno-religious cleansing ranges from the displacement and attacks on Hindus in Pakistan (1947–present), Bangladesh (1971, 2024–present), and Indian states such as West Bengal (April 2025). Despite this grim reality, Hindu suffering has often been minimized or denied by international institutions, media, and segments of Western academia.

Tragically, such biased narratives have also infiltrated into our local school system. In Lexington Public Schools, including at LHS, opinion pieces are being taught as historical resources on Kashmir, while the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Hindus is ignored. This erasure adds to the trauma of our children, who are already struggling to understand the extreme hate directed at their faith.

Yet in our grief, we found a moment of unity and healing at the April 30 vigil held by the Indian Americans of Lexington at the Hastings Park. Attended by Kashmiri Hindu Lexingtonians, concerned residents and community leaders. Christina Lin, Eileen Jay, Larry Freeman, Joe Pato, Vineeta Kumar and TMMs gathered for collective mourning, community support, and acknowledgment of historical trauma of the Hindus.

To truly move forward, we urge the town to support more public forums, inclusive community dialogue, and historically accurate, unbiased school curricula. These steps will help restore our children’s faith in peaceful dialogue and affirm Lexington’s shared values of justice, freedom, acceptance, peaceful coexistence and inclusivity.

We are deeply grateful to the town authorities and community members who have stood with us during this painful time.

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4 Comments

  2. Thank you Archana ,others and Mamata for your posting.
    This terrorists attack of killing innocent citizens in Kashmir India and Oct 7 th killing of innocents in Israel needs strong condemnation from global citizens , govt and prayers for departed souls and early recovery of mentally and physically traumatized .
    About the curriculum in school pertaining to Kashmir , Hinduism or else can be looked at carefully as we the Lexingtonian are very lucky to have wonderful school superitendant , excellent teachers and school comittee so would be nice for parents to help all and bring corrective info so childrens can learn what sounds to be good. Let us work for equanimity and unite well as humanity deserves a voice and Lexington can as we just celebrated
    Lex250 .
    Thank you

  3. I want to profusely thank Archana Singhal and as well as our Mona Roy for organizing April 30 vigil held by IAL – Indian Americans of Lexington at the Hastings Park. Attended by Kashmiri Hindu Lexingtonians, concerned residents and community and town leaders.
    Their passionate hard work for this and many issues deserves our heartfelt thanks

  4. Thank you for writing this article, Archana. We all need to be aware and educate ourselves on what the truth is ourselves and then our children and the larger community. We should also write to our lawmakers so that they are made aware as well. We can do this by sending an email to our lawmakers to bring this to their attention. CoHNA, a grassroots advocacy organization representing the Hindu community of North America, has created a one click email campaign along with a lot of information about what happened and the history behind it here: https://cohna.org/terror-attack-in-pahalgam/. People can use their own words and write as well.

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