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Minnesota Vigil Honors Pahalgam Victims, Urges Strong Response
Community Demands Global Recognition of Hindu Lives and Terror Accountability.
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Vijendra Agarwal - Fri, 02, May 2025
- 23:19 EDT
- 560
Arun Sharma, a CoHNA MN team member, addressing the crowd. / VJ Agarwal.
In a stirring display of unity and resolve, nearly 200 members of Minnesota’s Hindu community gathered amid rain at the Capitol Grounds for a candlelight vigil on May.1. Organized by the Minnesota chapter of the Coalition of Hindus in North America (CoHNA), the vigil honored the victims of the brutal Apr.22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, where Hindu pilgrims and tourists were reportedly pulled from vehicles, forced to declare their religion, and shot dead by Islamist terrorists.
The solemn ceremony lasted over an hour, undeterred by the weather. Attendees lit candles, held up photos of the victims, and read their names aloud — a symbolic gesture to affirm that these lives would not be reduced to statistics or forgotten.
“This was not just terrorism — it was targeted hate,” said Agarwal, one of the speakers, a CoHNA member and contributing author to the event. “They were killed for being Hindu.”
Also read: On both sides of the line of control, Kashmiris watch, wait and prepare for war
The event opened with a powerful message from CoHNA Minnesota Director Neha Markanda, who shared personal reflections about her upbringing in Punjab, near the India-Pakistan border.
“I haven’t slept well since hearing of this tragedy,” she said. “What if it had been my family? What if their Hindu identity became the difference between life and death?”
Messages of solidarity were read aloud by the CoHNA Minnesota team from political leaders, including State Senator Warren Limmer, who stated: “We stand with you, both as neighbors and as family. The vigil tonight is not just an opportunity to honor the victims — it’s a powerful reminder that we respond to hate with unity.”
Statements from national figures, including FBI official Kash Patel and former Congresswoman and current Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, were also shared. All voices emphasized that the atrocity in Pahalgam must not fade into silence.
Community specifically called for:
- Official designation of Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism
- Direct and decisive response by the Indian government
- Global condemnation of the targeted killing of Hindus
- Zero tolerance policy for acts of religious terrorism
The vigil included traditional Shanti prayers, a moment of silence, and a collective pledge not to let the victims’ deaths go in vain. Markanda concluded, “Let this tragedy serve as a wake-up call. Global events have local echoes. We must remain vigilant against radicalization and silence.”
Agarwal raised the central question: “Do Hindu lives matter?”
Several speakers expressed deep disappointment at the lack of global media coverage and the absence of official condemnation from Western governments.
“There were no headlines, no outrage, and no justice,” said Agarwal. “We must demand that this change now.”
The vigil was not only an expression of grief, but a call to action:
- For the Indian government to respond with conviction
- For the global community to recognize Hindu persecution and Hindu hate
- For terrorism to be eliminated at its roots
The park reverberated with chants of “Vande Mataram,” “Om Shanti,” and the call for Hindu unity.
Neha Markanda, Director, CoHNA MN, addressing the crowd. / VJ Agarwal
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