A report in the British media outlet BBC has raised serious questions over the official account given by India on the Pahalgam attack in Illegal Indian Occupied Kashmir (IIOK).
The alleged attack occurred on April 22 at a tourist site in the Pahalgam area, claiming the lives of 26.
Soon after the attack, India accused Pakistani elements of the attack without presenting any evidence.
BBC has now cast serious doubts on the glaring security lapses and the role of Indian intelligence agencies and the Modi administration in the attack.
According to the report, Sheetal Kalathiya, the widow of slain tourist Sailesh Bhai Kalathiya, slammed a visiting minister during a condolence meeting.
“You have so many VIP cars, but what about the taxpayers? Twenty-six people were killed in Pahalgam—there was neither security nor a medical team,” the woman was quoted as saying in the BBC report.
Similar views were shared by a survivor, identified as Paras Jain, who said that there were no security personnel present in the area despite the heavy presence of the Indian army in the Illegal Indian Occupied Kashmir (IIOK).
According to the report, a CRPF camp was just seven km away, while the Rashtriya Rifles were stationed only five km from the site.
Read more: Indian Supreme Court rejects plea for judicial probe into Pahalgam attack
Despite the close distance, it took an hour for the police to reach the site of the attack, which went on for around half an hour.
Speaking to the BBC, Indian Journalist Anuradha Bhasin raised questions over the absence of security forces despite previous threat alerts.
She also questioned the way the alleged attackers’ images were published within a few hours of the attack.
In conclusion, the BBC report termed the attack a failure of India’s overall security apparatus as it questioned the lack of security presence at a popular tourist destination like Pahalgam.