NEW DELHI — In the aftermath of the horrific militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) Pahalgam that claimed many lives and left scores injured, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Supreme Court in respect to the safety and security of people from militant attacks who visit tourist places especially the hilly areas and remote destinations.
The petition said that there exists a lack of safety programmes and guidelines for tourists and general people on how to save themselves when there is an attack, how to get immediate help and how to hide themselves when attacked.
It added that tourists in Pahalgam were an easy target for the militants as those innocent people were unarmed and without any security.
“It is for the first time that the tourists have been targeted and in such large numbers they have been killed and injured. Now it has raised the question of safety and security of the people of the country who visit as tourists mostly in hilly areas and valleys like Jammu and Kashmir,” the plea said.
It added, “Recent terrorist attacks have raised questions of the security of tourists visiting such remote places. In urban areas it is difficult to attack as there is regular movement of police forces but tourist destinations are geographically different where people can be targeted easily.”
The PIL stressed that the Centre and State governments will have to take steps to deploy adequate security for the tourists who visit remote hilly areas and valleys specially during the summer season.
“The VIPs always remain under protection throughout the clock in our country. When they pass, roads are blocked for citizens. Lot of security personnel are deployed in their security but the common people always suffer,” it further said.
The militant attack unfolded on Tuesday in the Baisaran Valley near the tourist town of Pahalgam.
According to eyewitness accounts, a group of heavily-armed men emerged from the nearby forests and opened indiscriminate fire on civilians, most of whom were tourists.
The sudden and brutal assault left at least 28 dead, including an Intelligence officer, and dozens injured.
As per reports, two to three miltants wearing Army fatigues came and fired at horse-riding tourists in the Baisran area around 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Baisran is a small meadow 3 to 4 km from the Pahalgam market, and tourists take horses to reach the place as there is no motorable road to it.– IANS
