Two days after terrorists killed 27 Hindus in Pahalgam in Anantnag district of Kashmir, the Modi government highlighted how the local administration failed to inform security agencies about the opening of the Basiran area near Pahalgam.
The revelations were made during an all-party meeting conducted on Thursday (24th April).
According to reports, access to the Basiran area usually remains restricted until June, when the Amarnath Yatra takes place. However, it was opened for tourists on 20th April without notifying the security authorities.
It had also come to light that tour operators and local hoteliers did not notify about the presence of tourists in Basiran.
Additionally, there was no police permission for tourists to visit the Baisaran area, and yet it saw the footfall of 1000 tourists.
As such, there were no security forces in the area when terrorists attacked the Hindus on Tuesday (22nd April).
500 troops were reportedly present in Pahalgam but not deployed in Basiran due to a lack of information (which is usually provided by tour operators). The deployment of security forces in the Valley is dynamic.
At the same time, the government officials highlighted that the site of the terror attack was a 45-minute uphill walk and that the security forces had to go on trek for the rescue operation.
BJP leader Kiren Rijiju pointed out that the Basiran meadow was not accessible by pony and was far away from the main road.