Pahalgam Terror Attack: Mamata Banerjee Announces Compensation for Victims' Families

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of three persons from the state who were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. The same amount will also be given to the family of the Army havildar who died during an encounter in Udhampur.  Banerjee said the state government will provide a job to the wife of Havildar Jhantu Ali Shaikh, who hailed from Tehatta in Nadia district.

"The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of those who lost their lives in the terror attack. I talked to the parents of Bitan Adhikary. Swasthya Sathi Card has been made for Bitan's parents, and they will be given a pension of Rs 10k per month as they are very old. Rs 5 lakhs will be given to Bitan's parents, and Rs 5 lakhs to Bitan's wife. Rs 10 lakhs each will be given to the other two victims' families in Behala and Purulia. If anyone wants a job, the government will provide it. I also talked to the wife of the paramilitary personnel who lost his life in Udhampur. The government has announced a job for her and a compensation of Rs 10 lakhs," West Bengal CM said as quoted by ANI.

She further said, "I will visit Murshidabad and give compensation to the three affected families."

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The attack occurred on Tuesday at the Baisaran meadow in Pahalgam. Terrorists opened fire on a group of tourists, killing 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen. Several others were injured in what has been one of the deadliest attacks in Kashmir since the Pulwama bombing in 2019. The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow group of the banned Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the attack.

In retaliation, India has begun taking several strict measures against Pakistan. These include suspending the 1960 Indus Water Treaty and closing the Atari-Wagah border crossing. The government has also expelled Pakistani military officials from New Delhi and revoked visas of all Pakistani nationals.

On Friday, April 25, 2025, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with all state Chief Ministers. He instructed them to identify all Pakistani nationals currently residing in their states. 

According to the reports, Amit Shah instructed the chief ministers to compile a list of all Pakistani nationals in their states and send it to the central government. The government has already announced that all Pakistani nationals' visas will be cancelled from April 27, 2025, while medical visas will remain valid until April 29, 2025. Additionally, Indian citizens have been advised to return from Pakistan as soon as possible.  Amit Shah urged the chief ministers to prioritize this task and maintain law and order in their states. He emphasised that there should be no delay in the process of identifying Pakistani nationals and revoking their visas.