Actor Makarand Deshpande Leads Protest Against Pahalgam Terror Attack: 'Need To Support Government'
Actor Makarand Deshpande led a peaceful protest in Mumbai on April 27, mourning victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Protesters in white held placards for unity.
Grief and solidarity filled the streets of Mumbai on Sunday, April 27, as actor Makarand Deshpande led a peaceful protest against the brutal attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam region. In a brutal act of terror, many people were killed and several others injured when some terrorists opened fire on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22.
Dressed in white as a symbol of mourning, Deshpande and a group of supporters gathered to honour the victims. They held up placards that read 'United We Stand Hand in Hand" and 'Ek Desh Ek Dhadkan," sending out a strong message of unity and resilience in the face of tragedy.
'I condemn this incident and pay tribute to all the victims. They were killed for their religion and names, which is very wrong… We need to support the government of India in whatever decisions they take," Deshpande told ANI.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Actor Makarand Deshpande, along with people, holds protest in Mumbai against #PahalgamTerrorAttack pic.twitter.com/loJysG7ME9 — ANI (@ANI) April 27, 2025
Meanwhile, voices from Bollywood have come together to strongly condemn the attack. Actor Atul Kulkarni, who visited Kashmir on Sunday in the wake of the horrific tragedy, urged people across the country to stand by the region. He encouraged citizens to visit Kashmir.
Speaking to ANI, Atul Kulkarni expressed deep sorrow over the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. He shared that news of '90 percent of tourist bookings" being cancelled deeply moved him, prompting his decision to travel to Kashmir personally. Instead of merely reacting from Mumbai, Kulkarni said he wanted his presence in the Valley to send a stronger message of solidarity and hope.
'What happened on the 22nd was a very tragic incident; this should not have happened. The entire country is deeply saddened. When I read about it, I was thinking that every time something like this happens, what do we do? We post on social media, we talk to friends, we write something, but then I thought, what can I actually do in real action?" Kulkarni told ANI.
'That's when I remembered reading that 90% of the bookings here had been cancelled. So I felt–what message are they trying to send by doing this? They're basically saying, 'Don't come to Kashmir.' And the response we should give is, 'We will come. Kashmir is ours.' But I couldn't give that message while sitting in Mumbai. It was important that I come here myself," he added.
The terror strike in Pahalgam unfolded around 2:30 pm on Tuesday, leaving behind a trail of heartbreak and horror. Among the 26 victims were a young Navy officer, newly married just days earlier, and an Intelligence Bureau official who was gunned down in front of his wife. Officials confirmed that the casualties also included two foreign nationals, from the UAE and Nepal, as well as two local residents.
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April 28, 2025, 07:17 IST
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