SRINAGAR, Apr 22, KDC: In one of the deadliest terror attacks in recent years, 27 tourists were killed and several others injured after a group of terrorists opened fire at a tourist group at Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Monday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation with Union Home Minister Amit Shah following the incident, directing him to ensure immediate and stringent action. Modi, expressing deep anguish, instructed the Home Minister to personally visit the site and monitor the ground situation.
Officials said that HM Amit Shah along with all the top officials from new Delhi is arriving in Srinagar shortly.
Sources confirmed to Srinagar-based news agency Kashmir Dot Com (KDC) that the Prime Minister emphasized the need to bring the perpetrators to justice without delay and restore public confidence in the security environment.
Home Minister Amit Shah has convened an emergency meeting in New Delhi to assess the deteriorating security situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting is being attended by top officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, intelligence agencies, and central paramilitary forces.
Eyewitnesses and visuals circulating on social media suggest the attackers indiscriminately fired upon the group of tourists at Baisaran, a popular meadow area above Pahalgam. While 27 have lost their lives, several others sustained critical injuries. The deceased include Shalinder Kalpiya, and injured tourists hail from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha.
Security forces have launched an intensive combing operation in the dense forest area surrounding Baisaran. Senior police and civil administration officials are camping at the site, and reinforcements have been rushed in to track down the attackers.
This incident has triggered widespread condemnation, with political leaders and civil society members expressing shock over the targeting of civilians in a region known for its scenic beauty and growing tourist activity. (KDC)