Mamata Banerjee questions 'selective killings' by terrorists in Pahalgam terror attack

Kolkata, April 23 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Wednesday, questioned the selective killings by terrorists in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

“I just cannot imagine so many people being killed selectively. We could even see and hear. Enough army personnel were deployed in Pahalgam. It was a sensitive point near the International Border (IB),” the Chief Minister told media persons after coming out of a city-based private hospital in Kolkata where Governor C.V. Ananda Bose is admitted currently.

She also condemned the massacre. “Today, there was a meeting of the state Cabinet. The matter was also discussed at the meeting. The terrorists do not have any class or religion, and should be shown no mercy,” the Chief Minister said.

Meanwhile, the bodies of two of the three tourists from Bengal who were killed in the Pahalgam massacre, namely Bitan Adhikari and Sameer Guha, have already arrived by a special flight to Kolkata on Wednesday evening.

The body of the third slain tourist from Bengal, Manish Ranjan Mishra, will reach his ancestral residence at Jhalda in Purulia district via Ranchi.

Manish Ranjan Mishra was an officer of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari and other senior state BJP leaders were present at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata when the bodies of Sameer Guha and Bitan Adhikari.

Two members of the West Bengal Cabinet were also there at the airport.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leadership has launched scathing attacks against the Union government over the intelligence failure behind the Pahalgam massacre.

“Those who are in power in the country and make tall claims about the internal security of the country should take responsibility for the massacre. So many people were killed just because of the security lapses,” said West Bengal Power Minister Arup Biswas.

The state BJP leader and the Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar, said that this was not the time for political mud-slinging over the tragedy.

--IANS

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