J&K terror attack: Senior Cong leader Baghel questions security lapses

Raipur: Congress National General Secretary and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel drew a parallel between the Maoist attack on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh's Jhiram Ghati and the recent terrorist attack on tourists in J&k's Pahalgam.
Addressing a press conference in Bhilai on Thursday, Baghel stated that the death toll in the Jhiram Ghati massacre was 28, including senior party leaders, and an equal number of people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack.
"Another common factor in both incidents is that the Maoists asked the names of the Congress leaders in the Jhiram massacre, while the terrorists reportedly asked the religion of the tourists in Pahalgam," Baghel said.
"The pattern of Maoists and terrorists remains almost similar as they use firearms, carry out bomb blasts, and flee. But in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack, the Maoists took time and stayed for hours asking the names of the Congress leaders, and a similar pattern was seen in Pahalgam. The terrorists took their time in the Pahalgam incident. How did they know security would not arrive at the spot?" Baghel questioned.
He also questioned the role of the govt's intelligence wing. "Who will be responsible for the attack? Will the central govt take accountability for the incident? The way the BJP is publicising the incident on social media, emphasising the regional angle, is beyond understanding," he said.
"The central govt should take responsibility and be accountable for the incident," Baghel asserted.
"Senior Congress leaders, including Party President Mallikarjuna Kharge, LOP Rahul Gandhi, and Sonia Gandhi, have condemned the Pahalgam terror attack," Baghel said.
"Whatever decision the central govt takes regarding the Pahalgam attack, the Congress stands by it. The question is why there was no security when thousands of tourists were present? Why were CCTV cameras not installed at Pahalgam?" Baghel asked.