Year after Pahalgam, no action against cops
No visible action had been taken against those responsible for preventing such a massive terror attack at the ground level
Nearly a year after the Pahalgam terror attack, in which 25 tourists and a local resident were gunned down by militants in the Baisaran valley on April 22, questions regarding fixing critical security gaps, identified in the aftermath of the incident, remain unanswered.
Sources said no visible action had been taken against those responsible for preventing such a massive terror attack at the ground level.
Despite questions having been raised about intelligence and security protocol failures — even as a security review meeting was held by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on April 8, a fortnight before the attack in Srinagar, with the unified command, the highest decision-making body for security-related matters in Jammu and Kashmir — one year down the line, no inquiry or punitive action has been initiated against police personnel, officials in charge of the area and others stationed in Pahalgam and other areas of Anantnag district at the time of the incident.
Though at an all-party meeting was held by the Centre after the Pahalgam terror attack, where the government is learnt to have admitted to lapses owing to intelligence failure in response to queries by the Opposition, concrete action against those found wanting in the police and security establishment remains missing, the sources said.
Three Pakistani terrorists — Faisal Jatt, alias Suleman Shah, Habeeb Tahir, alias Jibran, and Hamza Afghani — who were identified to have been involved in the attack, were killed by the security forces under Operation Mahadev in July, within three months of the terror incident.
The terrorists had managed to enter India through the higher reaches of the Himalayas and were given logistical support by two locals, clearly indicating intelligence failure. Besides, one of the CRPF companies responsible for the security in the area was redeployed elsewhere, significantly reducing protection at the popular tourist spot.
The nearest quick action team — the CRPF’s 116 Battalion — took more than an hour to reach the Baisaran valley, giving the terrorists sufficient time to escape after the attack, hinting at lack of coordination among security agencies.
