Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah strongly condemned the deadly car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday, which claimed at least 10 lives and injured several others. Reiterating his commitment to peace and communal harmony, Abdullah cautioned against labeling every Kashmiri as a terrorist, emphasizing that only a small group of individuals has been responsible for undermining peace in the region.

“It is only a few people who have ruined peace and brotherhood in the region,” Abdullah told news agency ANI. “No religion can justify the killing of innocents with such brutality. Investigation will continue, but we must remember one thing— not every resident of Jammu and Kashmir is a terrorist or associated with terrorists.”

Abdullah expressed concern over the widespread stereotyping of Kashmiris, especially Muslims, in the wake of terror attacks. “When we look at every resident of J&K and every Kashmiri Muslim with a single ideology and think that each one of them is a terrorist, it is difficult to keep the people on the right track,” he said. He further called for strict punishment for those responsible for the Red Fort blast while ensuring that innocent people remain unaffected by the investigation.

Questioning Security Lapses

The J&K CM also highlighted potential lapses in monitoring suspects involved in the attack. “Have we not seen the professor of Universities before this? Who says that educated people don’t get involved in such things? They do. I am shocked that, though they were expelled from the job, no proper investigation or prosecution was carried out. We can only help the central government to keep the situation normal, and we are doing that,” Abdullah remarked.

LG Manoj Sinha Urges Society to Fight Terror Sympathisers

Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also weighed in, stressing that dismantling the terror ecosystem requires collective societal effort alongside security forces. “The security forces are determined to dismantle the terror ecosystem, but society, too, must join the fight and discharge its duties. It must stand against the terror sympathisers,” Sinha said. He warned that failure to do so could allow terrorist networks to become an existential threat, destabilizing peace and progress in the region.

Sinha urged the public to expose those who shelter terrorists or propagate extremist narratives. “I want to request the enlightened people that it is the need of the hour to expose those who give shelter to terrorists and create extremist narratives. You must stand against such elements,” he said, noting that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have borne the brunt of terrorism for more than three decades.

Investigation Updates

Authorities have made several arrests linked to the Red Fort blast, including individuals from Jammu and Kashmir. One of the accused, Dr. Adil Ahmad, a native of J&K, was found to have traveled from Srinagar to Delhi on October 31, just days before the November 10 car explosion. His flight ticket was recovered from a garbage pile outside his rented house in Aman Vihar Colony, Manakmau, Saharanpur.

The blast occurred in an explosives-laden vehicle driven by Dr. Umar Nabi, who hails from Pulwama in south Kashmir. Investigators say he is a key figure in an interstate terror network spanning Kashmir, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. So far, eight people, including seven from Jammu and Kashmir, have been arrested for their alleged links to the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) module operating out of Faridabad, Haryana.

Both Abdullah and Sinha’s statements underline the need to distinguish between the few individuals involved in terrorism and the broader Kashmiri population, emphasizing that stereotyping an entire community undermines efforts to maintain peace and societal harmony.