Families question absence of security personnel at Pahalgam meadow

The Hindu

24-04-2025

As the mortal remains of victims who were killed in the April 22 terror attack in South Kashmir's Pahalgam reached their homes on Thursday (April 24, 2025), the relatives raised questions on the absence of any security presence in the area frequented by thousands of tourists. As many as 26 people were killed in the terror attack targeted at male tourists who were singled out based on their religion.
In Surat, Shital Kalathiya, wife of Shaileshbhai Kalathiya, 44, a banker who was gunned down by terrorists after asking about his religion, burst out in anger at Union Minister C.R. Paatil on Thursday seeking answers as to why there was no security personnel or a medical unit deployed in the area. Speaking to the Minister who had arrived to offer condolences, Shital said, 'You have so many VIP cars. Your life matters, what about the person who pays tax? There was not a single military person present there nor was there any medical team.'
She said that Hindus and Muslims were segregated and killed by terrorists who were laughing and taking selfies after the incident. The Baisaran meadow is accessible only by foot and pony. The pony operators rescued several injured tourists.
Paras Jain, a resident of Maharashtra who survived the attack, told The Hindu earlier that the firing continued for 25-30 minutes, adding that there were no security personnel around at the time of the attack. The nearest security camps are located a few kilometres away. While the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is located around 7 km away, the camp of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of the Army is 5 km away.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed an all-party meeting on Thursday that Baisaran was opened for tourists without informing the police and the hotel owners should have been responsible and followed the security protocol before sending the tourists there. The Minister is learnt to have said at the meeting that incident should not have happened adding that there was no security there on the day of the incident.
The Minister is learnt to have said that the security agencies could not trace any communication signal within a radius of 50 km of Baisaran for at least five days before the attack. The terrorists did not use any communication device, the Minister is said to have informed the Parliamentarians.
He said it was wrong to make an exaggerated statement that it was a security failure but the hotels should have informed the police that they are opening new spot for the tourists.
He said following the incident, four spots have been closed and security has been provided at other spots.
A CRPF official said they were the first among the security forces to respond to the attack. 'We were alerted by the pony operators that a terror attack has taken place. The CRPF team evacuated three victims who suffered bullet wounds,' said the official adding that counter-insurgency (CI) in the area is under the Army's domain.
When asked why there was no presence of the unit at the meadow or nearby, the CRPF official said, 'Our deployment is based on the requirements of the Jammu and Kashmir Police. If the police asks us to aid them in road opening duties or providing security to VIPs, we follow the directions. This area was not under our charter of duty.'
A defence source said there were no specific intelligence inputs to suggest that the tourist place could be targetted by terrorists and, as per government's policy, Army deployment is consciously kept away from tourist destinations.
'There were intelligence inputs 15 days back of a possible terror attack in Anantnag area, which is quite usual ahead of the Amarnath Yatra. So we have been on alert around the usual locations and axis. There was nothing that indicated that Pahalgam could be target,' an Army source on the ground said on condition of anonymity.
A J&K police official said there was no specific threat flagged for Pahalgam, however there were inputs about other locations including Srinagar.
The defence source said that the intent of the attack, especially given the choice of the location, seems to be clearly aimed at the increasing numbers of tourists. Apple cultivation and tourists are two major sources of income for the locals. Just two weeks back, a hail storm caused significant damage to the apple crop and the terror attack has ensured that tourism is now finished for sometime. That hits at the heart of the income for locals, officials noted.