Amarnath attack: Rajnath holds security meet

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday took stock of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir at a meeting here following a terror attack on Amarnath pilgrims and hailed the people of the Kashmir Valley for their unequivocal condemnation of the killings.

The meeting was attended by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain, Research and Analysis Wing chief Anil Dhasmana, officials of paramilitary forces and Home Ministry.

Rajnath Singh directed the officials to ensure foolproof security for the pilgrims, informed sources said.

He also asked the authorities to ensure proper treatment of the injured.

The Minister later lauded every section of the Kashmiri society for condemning the Monday attack by the terrorists.

"Every section of the society in Kashmir has condemned the unfortunate act of cowardice and terror on the Amarnath pilgrims."

"I salute the people of the state. No one in Kashmir has praised the terror attack, this proves that Kashmiriyat is still alive there. This also boosts my morale to fight against such forces," Rajnath Singh said here.

Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra also held a high-level meeting at Raj Bhawan in Srinagar to review the security arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage.

The meeting was attended by Minister of State for Home Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, senior Home Ministry officials and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General Rajiv Rai Bhatnagar, who visited Kashmir on Tuesday.

Vohra earlier visited the Indian Air Force base in Srinagar and met the injured Amarnath pilgrims. He also paid respect to the seven pilgrims killed in the attack by laying wreaths on their coffins.

After treatment, the injured pilgrims were sent to the Srinagar Airport on Tuesday morning from where they were flown to Surat in Gujarat.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Jammu and Kashmir Police Munir Ahmad Khan blamed the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terror group for the attack.

Ahmad said five to six LeT terrorist were involved in the attack and it was masterminded by Pakistan-based operators of the terror outfit.

On Monday night, six women and a man were killed and 19 others injured when militants attacked an unescorted bus from Gujarat at Khanabal in Anantnag district on the Srinagar-Jammu highway.

Two of the women were from Maharashtra while the others belonged to Gujarat. The bodies of the two Maharashtra women was to be sent to their hometown. Of the 19 injured, eight pilgrims were from Maharashtra.

The 40-day Amarnath pilgrimage began on June 29 and will end on August 7. So far, nearly 1.40 lakh pilgrims have reached the cave shrine.

--IANS

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