 "Baisaran massacre: Narrow escape for 3 Kerala high court judges, left Pahalgam hours before terror attack. File image/AFP")
Three judges from the Kerala High Court, who were on a trip to Jammu and Kashmir, had a narrow escape during the terror attack in Pahalgam on Tuesday (April 22), The Hindu reported.
The judges, Anil K Narendran, G Girish and PG Ajithkumar and their families were on a vacation to Jammu and Kashmir.
The eight-member team had arrived in Jammu and Kashmir on April 17 and reached Pahalgam on Monday, April 21. After visiting local tourist spots, they stayed in Pahalgam for the night. They left for Srinagar at 9:30 am on Tuesday, April 22—just hours before the terror attack that killed over 26 people.
“The weather was pleasant and we covered most of the spots of tourist attraction, including a few temples, on Monday itself. The driver of the vehicle, who took us around, had offered to take us to more tourist spots in the area. However, I insisted on returning to Srinagar today itself to take a boat ride in Dal Lake as I had visited the area earlier, and we reached Srinagar safely,” Justice Narendran told The Hindu from Srinagar.
“We met a person at the hotel in Srinagar who narrowly escaped the terrorist attack. He was all shaken by the attack,” he said to The Hindu.
Lashkar offshoot ‘The Resistance Front’ claims responsibility
The Resistance Front , a group linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), has claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack.
The bodies of the 26 tourists killed were brought to Srinagar today. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who arrived soon after the attack, paid tribute by laying wreaths on their coffins at the Police Control Room.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short his Saudi Arabia visit and returned to Delhi on Wednesday to hold an emergency meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsA National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, led by an inspector general, has also been sent to Pahalgam to assist local police in the investigation.