India has often been perceived as a soft state and a target of terrorism—whether abetted from across the border or enabled by internal networks. Across Modi 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0, successive administrations have tried to undo that perception by hardening defences at home, empowering central agencies, and—crucially—acting pro-actively across the Line of Control to neutralise known terrorists and launch pads. To place the present decade in context, recall just a few of the mass-casualty attacks that scarred 2004–14 under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: the Delhi Diwali-eve bombings (2005), the Mumbai suburban train blasts (2006), the Samjhauta Express bombing (2007), the Ahmedabad serial blasts (2008), the 26/11 Mumbai attacks (2008), the Dantewada ambush of CRPF (2010), and the Hyderabad Dilsukhnagar twin blasts (2013)—a grim roll-call that shaped today’s counter-terror priorities.
What follows is a recap of ten major incidents since May 2014—not to alarm, but to recognise progress, mark unfinished business and calibrate what more must be done. Each entry notes the type of terrorist activity, place and casualties (civilians and uniformed personnel), and the investigative and legal status.
The top ten terrorist incidents (chronological)
1) Pathankot Air Force Station attack — Punjab — 2–5 January 2016 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Fidayeen infiltration on a strategic air base; hijacked vehicles, assault rifles, grenades and IEDs; attackers in fatigues breached the perimeter.
Casualties: Civilians: 1 • Security forces: 7 • Terrorists neutralised: 6.
Investigation & outcome: NIA filed a chargesheet naming Masood Azhar, his brother Abdul Rauf Asghar, and handlers including Shahid Latif. All on-site attackers were killed; external masterminds remain beyond Indian jurisdiction. Latif was shot dead in Pakistan in October 2023; proceedings against other handlers continue extraterritorially.
2) Uri brigade HQ attack — Baramulla, J&K — 18 September 2016 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Pre-dawn fidayeen raid on an Army brigade HQ; grenades and incendiaries set tents/fuel ablaze, followed by a gunfight.
Casualties: Civilians: 0 • Security forces: 19 soldiers • Terrorists neutralised: 4.
Investigation & outcome: Investigators linked the cell to Jaish-e-Mohammed handlers. All four attackers were killed. India’s response included publicly acknowledged cross-LoC surgical strikes on launch pads; prosecutions of external planners remain unresolved.
3) Nagrota Army camp attack — Jammu, J&K — 29 November 2016 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Storming of a field regiment; hostage-like situation in family quarters thwarted by officers’ families; close-quarters firefights.
Casualties: Civilians: 0 • Security forces: 7 • Terrorists neutralised: 3.
Investigation & outcome: The NIA chargesheet (2018) named Abdul Rauf Asghar as mastermind. On-ground attackers were eliminated; cases against overseas handlers are pending.
4) Amarnath Yatra bus ambush — Anantnag, J&K — 10 July 2017 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Drive-by mass shooting on a pilgrim bus after an initial strike on a police post; small arms from close range.
Casualties: Civilians: 8 pilgrims • Security forces: 0.
Investigation & outcome: A Lashkar-e-Taiba module led by Abu Ismail was identified; Ismail was killed in an encounter two months later. Several local facilitators were arrested and charge-sheeted in 2018.
5) Pulwama CRPF convoy suicide bombing — Pulwama, J&K — 14 February 2019 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Vehicle-borne suicide IED detonated against a 78-vehicle CRPF convoy on NH-44; explosives assembled locally with external direction.
Casualties: Civilians: 0 • Security forces: 40 CRPF personnel • Assailant: suicide bomber killed.
Investigation & outcome: The NIA’s chargesheet (2020) named 19 accused, including Masood Azhar and senior JeM operatives; several local conspirators were killed in subsequent encounters, others face trial. India responded with air-strikes on Balakot; Pakistan disputes the effects.
6) Gadchiroli IED ambush — Maharashtra — 1 May 2019 (Modi 1.0)
Type: Landmine/IED ambush on a police Quick Response Team vehicle hours after Maoists torched road-construction machinery; classic bait-and-blast sequence.
Casualties: Civilians: 1 (driver) • Security forces: 15 police personnel.
Investigation & outcome: CPI-Maoist claimed responsibility. Courts have since framed charges against multiple accused; some charges under MCOCA were pruned by higher courts. Arrests of key Maoist operatives linked to the plot have been reported; trials are ongoing.
7) Dhangri village killings — Rajouri, J&K — 1–2 January 2023 (Modi 2.0)
Type: Door-to-door shootings on 1 January, followed by an IED planted near a victim’s home that exploded on 2 January.
Casualties: Civilians: 7, including 2 children • Security forces: 0.
Investigation & outcome: The NIA charge-sheeted five, including three Pakistan-based LeT handlers, in February 2024. Proceedings against arrested harbourers have begun; the hunt for cross-border controllers continues.
8) Reasi pilgrim-bus ambush — Jammu, J&K — 9 June 2024 (Modi 3.0)
Type: Small-arms ambush on a bus from Shiv Khori to Katra; the driver was hit, the bus plunged into a gorge.
Casualties: Civilians: 9 (pilgrims) • Security forces: 0.
Investigation & outcome: One local logistics provider was charge-sheeted; multiple raids traced the route and safehouses used by the attackers. Media and official briefings in March 2025 reported the killing in Pakistan of “Abu Qatal”, an LeT handler linked to both Reasi and Rajouri plots. Core triggermen remain at large across the LoC.
9) Pahalgam/Baisaran Valley massacre — Anantnag, J&K — 22 April 2025 (Modi 3.0)
Type: Daylight mass shooting on tourists at the Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam; attackers in combat dress used assault rifles (incl. M4 carbines); crowd-herding and kill-zone tactics.
Casualties: Civilians: 26 (tourists and a local) • Security forces: 0.
Investigation & outcome: Subsequent “Operation Mahadev” near Srinagar’s Harwan–Dachigam belt eliminated three Pakistani terrorists, including the alleged mastermind. The NIA detained local harbourers; forensic/communications exploitation tied the squad to LeT/TRF pipelines. Identification and financial-trail probes are continuing.
10) Red Fort car explosion — Delhi — 10 November 2025 (Modi 3.0)
Type: Urban car explosion near Red Fort Metro; preliminary forensics point to a powerful IED; modus under probe.
Casualties: Civilians: at least 8 dead, ~19–20 injured • Security forces: 0.
Investigation & outcome: The NIA is leading the probe with Delhi Police support; CCTV, toll and telematics data are being fused. As of 12 November 2025, no conclusive public attribution; several persons have been detained and questioned.
Reading the arc
Two shifts stand out. First, while 2005–08-style serial urban bombings have been rarer since 2014, adversaries have concentrated on high-impact strikes on security forces (Pathankot, Uri, Pulwama) and, lately, civilian ambushes in the Jammu belt (Dhangri, Reasi) and a symbolic hit in the capital (Red Fort). Second, India’s response posture has become more forward-leaning—from surgical strikes and targeted raids to more systematic case-building by NIA and state ATS/SITs—yet extraditing masterminds across the border remains elusive.
A necessary caution on labels
Do not identify terror with a religion. India’s Muslims are fellow citizens—often victims of terror, sometimes among first responders, and integral to our security forces. At the same time, it cannot be wished away that many of the Kashmir-theatre attacks listed here were executed by organisations that self-identify with Islamist ideologies—LeT, JeM and fronts such as TRF—frequently with Pakistan-based handlers. The task is to target the guilty networks and their enablers—wherever they sit—without stigmatising an entire community.
The last word
Counter-terrorism is a hard, mostly invisible grind. If agencies thwart 99 plots and one slips through, that one dominates headlines, inflicts the pain, and skews public perception. That asymmetry argues for sustained investment in HUMINT/TECHINT, faster special-court timelines, denser ingress checks (land/coastal), and inter-agency data fusion down to the thāna level. We should applaud the courage and professionalism of our armed forces, CAPFs, state police and intelligence agencies—while insisting on reforms that make “never again” more than a slogan. Citizens must stay vigilant without being spooked: report suspicious activity, respect security protocols, and resist disinformation designed to divide.