Pahalgam terror attack: Police announce Rs 20 lakh reward for information on the militants involved
Security personnel patrol the site of the terrorist attack on tourists in Baisaran near Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district | Reuters
The Jammu and Kashmir police have announced a reward of Rs 20 lakh for information about the militants involved in the killings of as many as 26 people, mostly tourists, at Baisaran, Pahalgam on April 22.
Identity to remain confidential
A police poster about the cash reward said informants’ identities will remain confidential. Informants can contact Anantnag’s Senior Superintendent of Police (9596777666) or Police Control Room (9596777669) via call or email (dpoanantnag-jk@nic.in). The police released the sketches of three Pakistani militants believed to be involved in the killings in Pahalgam on Wednesday.
A photograph of four armed men, who resembled those in the sketches, was also released by security agencies on Wednesday.
The Resistance Front, considered an arm of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, had claimed responsibility for the attack. The claim was not confirmed by the security agencies.
Several tourists were spending time at Baisaran meadow, also called mini Switzerland, four kilometres from Pahalgam, when a group of militants entered the meadow and started shooting at them.
The attackers, according to eyewitnesses, donned combat uniforms and continued shooting for 15 to 20 minutes. They later escaped from the spot and into the forests nearby. Soon after the attacks, security forces launched a manhunt to track down the culprits.
After the attack, most tourists in Pahalgam cut short their trip. The Centre has arranged additional flights from Delhi to Srinagar and a special train from Katra to Delhi for the stranded tourists.
Currently, trains run from Baramulla to Sangaldan in Rabman in Jammu. The remaining portion is from Sangaldan to Katra in Reasi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was supposed to inaugurate the train from Katra to Srinagar in April however, due to the forecast for heavy rains and the visit of the US vice president J D Vance the inauguration was postponed. New dates for the inauguration are expected soon.
India