Akhilesh Yadav slams Centre over Pahalgam massacre, questions 'lack of security' for tourists

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday assailed the BJP-led Centre over the Pahalgam terror attack with pointed questions on the alleged lack of security for tourists.

He also accused the government of prioritising VIP protection over public safety.

On April 22, terrorists in Pahalgam gunned down 26 people, mostly tourists, in what is the deadliest attack in the Kashmir Valley since the Pulwama strike in 2019. The massacre has left the entire country grieving and outraged.

Voicing the concern of tourists who survived the attack, Yadav, in a post on X, asked, "Why was there no one to protect me (the public) amid danger?" In the post, he went on to question the government's security policies, ostensibly referring to alleged Gujarat conman Kiran Patel who had allegedly posed as a PMO official and visited Kashmir under security cover.

"Why are some individuals, who later turn out to be frauds, given such tight and comprehensive security by the government?" the SP chief posed.

Patel was arrested from a Srinagar hotel on his third visit to the valley in March last year.

Yadav also raised doubts about background checks done on individuals in sensitive areas, suggesting that anyone could gain access to high-security zones without proper scrutiny.

The Kannauj MP also took a dig at the ruling party, saying, "When the celebration-loving BJP organises controversial private events in such sensitive areas, thousands of security personnel are deployed for the safety of around 250 VVIPs whose job is to be the voice of others."

"On what basis do such people, who have no existence of their own and even disrespect courts, get security and not tourists?" the former UP chief minister posed and termed these "very serious questions" that demand answers.

Yadav was apparently referring to BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's reported high-profile family event in Gulmarg, Kashmir, under strict security cover, just days before the April 22 attack that has raised eyebrows among the BJP circles.

Dubey, the MP from Jharkhand's Godda, had stirred a controversy with his comments on the Supreme Court and by blaming Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna for "religious wars" in India.

The Samajwadi Party chief also said, "Even if statements are changed under pressure from those who lost their loved ones, BJP should remember that altering statements doesn't change the truth." In a separate post on X, Yadav accused UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of protecting members of his own caste in criminal cases, apparently referring to the recent attack on SP's Rajya Sabha MP Ramji Lal Suman.

"The BJP government had sent (SP worker Harish) Mishra ji from Banaras to jail even though he was the one who had suffered a life-threatening attack. It took days to get him released. Meanwhile, the attackers who tried to kill respected Dalit MP Ramji Lal Suman were out within 24 hours," he alleged.

He further said, "Let's see if the police officer suspended in the Ramji Lal Suman case is reinstated and even promoted by this government through the backdoor. In Uttar Pradesh, injustice prevails." The controversy stems from two recent incidents: an assault on SP worker Harish Mishra in Varanasi on April 12 and an attack at Suman's convoy on Sunday, both allegedly by Karni Sena members.

Police arrested five individuals in connection with the attack on Suman's convoy. Two policemen, including the local chowki in-charge, were also suspended for negligence.

Following the release of the accused in the Ramji Lal Suman case, Yadav targeted the state government, accusing CM Adityanath of favouring individuals belonging to the 'Kshatriya' caste.

"In UP today, the formula of 'power forgives caste kin' is clearly at work," he alleged.