Pahalgam terror attack: Prakash Ambedkar questions government's move to bring back tourists

Pune: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkar said on Saturday that the government should have provided security to tourists in Kashmir in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack instead of rushing in to bring them back.

"This is a mistake by the government. They should have supported tourists in Jammu and Kashmir, who were not afraid, and provided them with security, instead of bringing them back. The situation would have become normal," the VBA leader, the grandson of Babasaheb Ambedkar, told reporters.

He also said the government should have footed the expenses of tourists.

At least six individuals from Maharashtra were killed when terrorists sprayed bullets on tourists at a popular meadow in Pahalgam on April 22, killing 26 persons.

Ambedkar announced the launch of a signature campaign in Mumbai on May 2, requesting the government to take strict action against the perpetrators of the Pahalgam terror attack.

Reacting to India's announcement to keep the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan in abeyance, Ambedkar asked if the government has the infrastructure to store Indus River water.

He said the government should execute a concrete action plan, instead of just working over documents.